Honor and Roses: Volume 1
by Shocknawe 425
Summary: Long before the cities of Remnant, warriors who were born with Silver Eyes were destined to become some of the Finest Warriors in the world. Some of these warriors formed their own factions: The Knights, The Samurai, and the Vikings. But these heroes, and like many others before them, fall into dust. But now, by chance, a lost Knight met a young rose. (Rewritten)
1. Chapter 1 A Knight's Rise

**Okay, a revised version of the original Honor and Roses: Volume 1. I kept the introduction the same as that was a pretty good intro, despite being the same. Hope this version of the story is a little better. Hope any followers of the previous version will like this one.**

 **So, onto the story.**

 **Uh, Disclaimer, I don't own RWBY or For Honor, only my few OCs. For Honor is own by Ubisoft and RWBY by Rooster Teeth.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 1: A Knight's Rise**_

 ** _Legends; stories scattered through time. Mankind has grown quite fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains, forgetting so easily that we are remnants, byproducts, of a forgotten past._**

 ** _Man, born from dust, was strong, wise, and resourceful. But he was born into an unforgiving world. An inevitable darkness, creatures of destruction. The creatures of Grimm set their sights on Man and all of his creations. These forces clashed, and it seemed the darkness was intent on returning Man's brief existence into the void._**

 ** _However, even the smallest spark of hope is enough to ignite change, and in time Man's passion, resourcefulness, and ingenuity led them to the tools that would help even the odds. This power was appropriately named Dust. Nature's wrath in hand, Man lit their way through the darkness, and in the shadow's absence came strength, civilization, and most importantly, life._**

 ** _But even the most brilliant lights eventually flicker and die. And when they are gone... darkness will return. So you may prepare your guardians, build your monuments to a so-called "free world" but take heed, there will be no victory in strength._**

 ** _But perhaps victory is in the simpler things that you have long forgotten? Things that require a smaller, more honest soul._**

* * *

Vale, a small city with a bustling population, was currently basking in the shine of the moon. Or the shattered moon to be more precise, but that didn't stop the streets from being illuminated by its tender glow. A few cars drove by on the night streets, but the real action was in the city's shopping district where, even at this hour, citizens were still out and doing their regular deeds. Stores ranging from small family run businesses, large chain stores, a few restaurants had some night patrons and guests, but through all the stores, they shared a common element of having a massive selection of merchandise. And the people were taking advantage of the selection.

But it was on one of these small streets that a boy, roughly eighteen, maybe nineteen, strode down, wearing a hunter's attire and a golden and silver longsword slung across his back in an open sheath. Around his waist hung a gold cama, accented with gold lining and three silver diamonds. Wearing a light gold leather jacket with a white shirt underneath; it was covered by a slightly smokey silver cloak that came with a hood that had a few markings embroidered on the fabric. A green and gold clasp held the cloak in place across his collar.

On the clasp was a sort of symbol. A sword pointing down with tree roots branching from the tip spread out while two castles flanked the blade of the sword. Slightly torn black pants ran down both his legs to a pair of black and gold leather combat boots. Covering his hands and most of his forearms, a pair of silver and gold gauntlets protected his hands, as black leather fingerless gloves protected his hands.

Despite being in likely the most secure and safe place in Remnant, the figure's hand twitched almost longing to grip his weapon for some sort of reassurance. Raven black locks ran down his brow, the tips adorned a slight gold tint and reached just passed his chin. Silver eyes, ones that displayed the youth of the boy but also experience as a clean vertical scar went down his right eye. These eyes kept a close watch on his surroundings, searching for possible threats, enemies or assets of great importance.

But it seemed that whoever this boy was, was not finding what he searched. With a breath in and a short sigh out, he approached one random person.

"Pardon me, I just arrived in Vale and would you happen to know where a Dust store would be and if it's close by?" he asked.

"Of course," said a woman who looked to be an attorney of some kind, "Head down this street for about three blocks, make a quick right and it'll be on the left. Pretty sure it's called from Dust Until Dawn. It'll be the only store still open at this hour."

"Thank you, ma'am," thanked the boy before he jogged down the street.

If he wanted to get there before the store actually closed, he would need to pick up the pace. Jogging swiftly down the street, he turned the corner onto the road where he was directed and was met with a rather surprising sight. So surprising that he stopped in his tracks. The entire street was deserted. But adding to the unnerving atmosphere, all the street lights had been switched off and the lights in the buildings were out as well. Like the power had been cut to this area; all except to one building.

The Dust Store.

Carefully heading towards the store, the teen kept his right hand at the ready to grab the handle of his weapon. His left hand went to an automatic handcannon that was previously holstered on his left hip underneath the cloak. Above the cama but under the cloak, two holsters hung from his belt, each one holding a pistol with an elongated barrel. His hand came to rest on the weapon; anticipating for any threat, any danger, or surprise attack. The quiet of the night came to an abrupt halt as a man, wearing a full black body suit came flying through the front window of the store. In a flash, the revolver was drawn as the teen rushed towards the store, a little scared that this may be a robbery gone bad. But as soon as he saw who was responsible, he stopped in his tracks.

A girl, probably a few years younger than him, wielding a giant mechanical scythe had just challenged four men wearing similar attire to first the boy had seen. Short black locks with an unusual red highlighting the ends, framed her face. The girl, herself, was wearing a rather long, for her size, red cape with a hood that was a bit similar to his own cloak and was clad in a black blouse and waist cincher with red laces. Her skirt, which was colored a midnight-hued, displayed a frilly red trim, a belt home to a magazine pouch on her right, while large single rounds went along the left. Sheer black stockings hugged her legs, leading down to rugged, buckled combat boots. She reminded him of something out of a fairy tale, one that his mentor had once told him.

Her lithe form swung the scythe in an elaborate display, betraying the obvious strength she possessed. The boy slowed his approach, deciding to instead observe the scuffle; it became apparent the girl did not need his help, but he was ready to move in in case she needed some help. But, it seemed that she didn't need that much as she dispatched with her opponents with incredible ease, displaying an almost unrealistic wielding of such a large weapon. Aside from the normally unwieldy weapon, the boy also noted the, even by a hunter's standards, unnatural speed as well, incapacitating the crooks quickly. Oddly, as he noticed, the attacks fell short of being lethal. They were left writhing in obvious pain on the asphalt.

"You were worth every cent, truly you were," said a voice, a sarcastic tinge accompanying the sentence.

A final figure came out of the shop, this man in a white suit with a black bowler hat and cane. Ginger locks peeked from underneath the hat and in his mouth was a lit cigar. He kicked a goon as he strode, eliciting a groan.

"Well _Red,_ I can say this has been quite the eventful evening," he continued towards the girl, dropping the cigar and crushing it with the end of his cane, "As much as I'd _love_ to stick around, I'm afraid this is where we part ways."

He then raised his cane towards her, a small sight popping up over the tip. It was at this point the teen decided to get involved.

"Didn't mom ever tell you it's rude to point? Or did someone else fail to teach you that you shouldn't point weapons at another person, especially if that person is a young girl?" holding out one of his handcannons, trained right on the redheaded man. The girl spared him a surprised glance but kept her focus on the man currently threatening her.

"Well, what do we have here, _another_ guest star?" said the man loudly, even as police sirens closed in from the distance, "I have Red _and_ Gold gracing me with their amazing presence tonight. I'm flattered, truly, I am. But like before, I have a tight schedule I'd like to keep. Hope you understand. Ciao!"

Faster than the boy guessed, the man's left hand fell into his coat, pulling out a dust crystal, igniting it with his aura. A quick flick of his wrist and the crystal was sent bouncing towards the boy while at the same time, he fired his cane towards the girl, a flare of red dust energy rocketing towards her. With the help of her scythe, the girl vaulted over the incoming missile before it could collide with her. As for the boy, he reacted quick enough to shoot the crystal in the air causing it to explode. Unfortunately, the crystal was a bit closer than he realized and the boy was caught in the resulting explosion. Thanks to his aura, he was hardly fazed and quickly began to scan the area for the man. After a moment, he spotted him scrambling up a fire access ladder. Gun in hand, he took off in pursuit, focusing his aura into his legs and leaping for the roof.

"Mind if I go after them?" the girl asked the aged shopkeeper as he came out of hiding from his ruined shop.

He gave her a shaky nod.

With a smirk, she planted the head of her scythe into the ground and by pulling a hidden trigger, fired a powerful round, using the recoil to launch herself up to the edge of the building. The young pair landed at the same time, confronting the white-clad thief.

"Hey!" she yelled out, causing the thief to pause.

"Make a move, and I'll drop you," stated the boy, pulling out his second pistol to dual wield to add emphasis.

"Persistent..." muttered the thief from where he stood.

Whether it was out of either pride or spite, he refused to face the two teens; seconds ticked by. And the man's patience was rewarded because with a tremendous roar, a bullhead transport rose from the street adjacent to them. Floodlights blazed down on the two teens, momentarily blinding them as the suited man clambered into the vehicle's cabin. Once he was inside, the lights went out, releasing the two from their blindness.

"End of the line, kids!" shouted the man as he pulled out another red dust crystal from his jacket and tossed it towards them. Upon seeing the crystal, the boy's eyes widened in surprise.

"Get down!" he shouted while tackling the girl beside him to the right, trying to get away as a red bolt erupted from the tip of the thief's cane.

As if by some miracle, right before the shot made contact with the crystal, a figure appeared between them and the explosive object, conjuring a violet glyph the mercifully shielded them from the resulting explosion of the detonated crystal; a huntress. Likely in her late thirties with braided golden hair and spectacles. A white long-sleeved blouse clothed her, neatly tucked into a high set black skirt. A tattered purple cape billowed behind her. Black stockings and heels finished off the display. She huffed in annoyance as she waved what appeared to be a wand. Adjusting her glasses, she swung in a wide arc, firing a volley of violet energy bolts at the bullhead. The armored hull suffered little more than large dents from the impacts.

Not one to stand aside during a battle, the boy joined in, taking aim with his pistols, the red dust infused explosive rounds cracked against the hull of the bullhead, denting it along with the Huntress.

The girl joined him, her scythe collapsing into a high-velocity sniper rifle. Thundering cracks announced each round. The red-haired thief stumbled his way to the cockpit as his getaway bird lurched under the combined assault. He did not think his night would end this way.

"We got a huntress!" the thief yelled to his pilot, who, needing no more reason to leave, promptly rose from the pilot's chair and headed to the cabin.

The pilot was a woman, clad in a scarlet dress that fell to her mid thigh, decorated with gold embroidery, and glass high heel shoes. Glowing amber eyes were all that had shown from her mostly shrouded face. Her form rippled with the power of flame, like a miniature sun.

The bespectacled huntress ignored this new assailant for the most part, instead of waving her wand as it glowed with the intricate spider-web of Dust energy, conjuring a billowing swirl of storm clouds above the bullhead, bending the laws of weather to suit her intention. From its tendrils, large and sharpened chunks of hail fell upon the craft, puncturing the reinforced steel like pins through paper. The thief, who had since taken the woman's place in the cockpit, struggled to keep the bullhead airborne under the new assault of projectiles. He swore out-loud, quickly ducking to the left as one shard easily forced its way through the craft's canopy, showering him with glass.

A wave of the scarlet woman's hand conjured numerous orange glyphs where the trio stood. In haste, the huntress slid the two youths to safety with her wand as she herself nimbly danced out of range of the subsequent explosions. In response, the huntress waved her wand and took full control of the resulting debris, manipulating them into the form of a large spear. A flick of her wrist sent the deadly formation flying at high speed towards her target, only to be met with several volleys of fire that steadily wore it down in size.

Switching tactics, the huntress waved her wand once more, splitting the spear into multiple tendrils and surrounding the craft, but the pyromancer had a defensive tactic for this assault as well, throwing both her arms outwards and creating a super-heated shockwave that reduced the debris to ash. Sighting in with her scythe rifle, the girl took careful and precise shots at the woman. Unfortunately, the bullets did nothing, easily being stopped by the palm of the sorceress' hand. Needing an escape tactic, the pyromancer cupped her hands together, compressing the molten energy into a tightly packed ball.

When she felt it had reached a sufficient level, she launched this ball at her three attackers. The Huntress' eyes went wide when she realized how much more powerful this particular attack was in comparison to all the others. Gritting her teeth, she formed a protective sphere around herself and her two unexpected charges.

The explosion rocked the city across several blocks, startling the hapless citizens with its force and volume. The girl in red, despite the protective shielding, was knocked to the ground, alluding to the strength of the explosion.

The boy buckled slightly under the force but remained on his feet, awed by the sheer magnitude of the attack. The concrete roof of the building glowed an angry red, flash heated by the sudden assault from the fireball. Drawing upon her deeper reserves of power, the huntress let loose a wave of energy, banishing the smoke and flames from around them, but by the time she was able to send another volley of bolts, the bullhead was already retreating into the night sky. With a frown on her face, the huntress adjusted her spectacles and set to work repairing the ruined roof with her telekinesis.

Sighing, the boy holstered his guns and approached the girl, holding his hand out to help her up.

"Whoever they were, escaped but I wouldn't count them so lucky," assured the boy while he pulled the girl to her feet. As he spoke with her, no longer focused on the fight, he saw that he was actually much taller than her, almost three-quarters of a head taller to be precise. This put her at around the height of his chest, "Name's Warden, what's your's?"

"Ruby," she smiled back to him.

With pleasantries out of the way, the two turned their attention to the Huntress who was giving them a rather disdainful look if her expression anything to go by. While Warden looked a little bristled, Ruby, for her part, practically gushed with excitement.

"Ohimgosh, you're a huntress!" exclaimed the young girl, "Can I get your autograph?"

* * *

 _-Thirty Minute's later-_

"I'd say no," commented Warden dryly as he and Ruby were not sitting inside an interview room within the local police station.

"I hope you realize that your actions tonight will not be taken lightly, you two. The both of you put yourselves and others in grave danger," the blonde woman scolded.

"They started it!" Ruby protested.

"If we're being fair, miss, this wasn't my first experience," Warden chuckled sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. However, the Huntress was far from amused.

"Silence!" snapped the woman, punctuating what a slap of what Warden identified as a riding crop.

"If it were up to me, the both of you would be sent home tonight," she began, her tone as stern as ever, "with a pat on the back..."

Ruby perked up.

"... and a slap on the wrist." To prove her point, the woman slightly smacked Ruby's hand with the crop, earning a yelp from the terrified girl.

"However..." picked up Warden, knowing there was a 'however' coming along.

"However" elaborated the woman, glancing at Warden for a moment, "that doesn't seem to be the case. Someone here would like to speak to the both of you."

She stood to the side as an older man entered the room. He, like his associate, also wore spectacles. Silver, slightly messy hair adorned his crown and an emerald scarf hugged his neck. A long, black overcoat with gold buttons draped across his figure, long sleeves coming down to white-gloved hands. Unlike the woman, Warden recognized this man almost immediately, and honestly who wouldn't? Professor Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy, entered the room. And he was carrying a...plate of cookies?

"Ruby Rose," addressed the headmaster to the girl first, "and Warden Allister." He greeted the boy.

Both of them sat up, their attention and curiosity peaked now.

"The two of you... have silver eyes," he spoke as if deciphering a puzzle. The two youths looked at each other in confusion, but as soon as they did, they discovered the other did indeed have silver eyes.

"So!" picked up Ozpin, drawing their attention back to him, "Where did you learn to do this?" accompanying his question, he pointed towards the woman's scroll, displaying a recording of the street fight to Ruby.

"S-Signal Academy?" she hesitantly answered.

"An entry-level school taught you how to wield one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed?" asked Ozpin humorously.

"Well, one instructor in particular!" she clarified with a little nervousness.

"I see," he continued. At that point, he set the plate down in front of her.

Ruby's eyes shot back and forth between Ozpin and the cookies. A pale hand slowly reached forward and took a cookie. She ate one, then another as her smile grew. In no time at all, she ravenously inhaled cookie after cookie, not even crumbs were safe.

"Uh...you gonna share some of those?" asked Warden, watching as the girl practically inhaled the snacks, "like...at all?"

She nodded once, pushing the plate towards the knight, allowing him the privilege of having the very last cookie.

"I only know of one person who can wield the scythe with such ease..." continued Ozpin. "...a dusty old crow."

Ruby mumbled something, likely a confirmation of sorts, though it was hard to tell through her mouthful of cookies, "Pardon me?"

She swallowed and giggled nervously.

"Sorry, that's my Uncle Qrow, and he's a teacher at Signal. I was complete garbage before he took me under his wing, but now I'm all whooowaah watttchaaa!" she described animatedly, throwing in a batch of actions to complete the explanation.

"So I've seen," Ozpin replied, a slight smile on his face and a little bit of amusement in his words, "And what is an adorable little girl such as yourself doing at a school designed to train warriors?"

"Well..." began Ruby, looking for a good answer, "I want to become a Huntress."

"You want to slay monsters?" supplied Ozpin.

"Yeah!" said Ruby, a flash of excitement appeared in her eyes as she began to explain, " I only have two more years at Signal and then I want to apply to Beacon. You see, my sister is starting there this year and she's trying to become a Huntress. I'm trying to become a Huntress because I wanna help people! Our parents always taught us to help people and I thought 'Oh might as well make a career out of it' hehe, and sure the police are good and all but Hunters and Huntresses are just so much cooler and romantic and exciting and gosh you know?" she squealed.

The responses varied between the three people present: the woman gave Ruby a deadpanned expression while Ozpin and Warden chuckled at her enthusiasm.

"Very interesting." commented the professor before he directed his focus on Warden.

"Warden...you, as opposed to Ruby, I have actually already heard about and in fine detail as well."

"Is that correct?" asked Warden, raising an eyebrow slightly as his stature stiffened by the supplement.

To show what he was talking about, Ozpin waved at the scroll, switching the recording that was previously displaying Ruby fighting the criminals to one of Warden. Here, he was poised in a deadly stance as Grimm charged towards him. The landscape displayed one of the failed cities of Remnant, displaying the threat of the Grimm. Ruby watched in unrestrained awe as the older teen wielded a longsword, hacking, slashing, and pummeling as he beat back the advancing swarm of Grimm; consisting mostly of Beowolves and the occasional Ursa. The camera changed angles just as Warden focused his aura into the weapon, the blade split in half right down its length and unleashed a massive beam right toward the pack. The deadly attack sliced right through them with ease.

"A Huntsmen of mine had been called to a village by the name of Canyonriver, not far from the city of Mantle. He was sent there to fend off a pack of Grimm that were moving close to the village. Imagine his surprise to find that you had already engaged them."

"You're already a Huntsman?" asked Ruby, excitement flooding her expression.

"I wish," sighed Warden, "I had an excellent instructor. Besides, I was taking a break there when I ran into the Grimm. Didn't want anyone to lose their lives or loved ones when I had the opportunity to help them."

Cracks of the pistols echoed from the video of Warden as he emptied both of his handcannons into an Ursa that tried to pin him down. The body of the Grimm nearly fell on top of the boy but was promptly shoved into a pair of advancing Beowolves as Warden holstered both weapons and unsheathed his longsword.

"And what exactly do you mean by 'taking a break'?" Ozpin asked curiously.

"Been moving from Vacuo for about a month, maybe a little longer. Canyonriver was going to be my last before I would make my way here and apply to Beacon.

"On foot?" asked Ozpin, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I know. It sounds suicidal. But what's life without some risks?" lamented Warden, knowing full well that only very experience Huntsmen and Huntresses could actually make a trip like that and live to tell the tale. Grimm were numerous and was almost never alone.

"And what exactly compelled you to traverse half the continent of Sanus for your education when you could have applied to Shade Academy within Vacuo?"

"Training, if you wish to call it that," was the reply, though he skillfully evaded the question.

"Except that the main mode of transportation between kingdoms is either by air or sea. To do so cross country is akin to, what you stated as well, suicide. You, of course, understand this, correct?"

"With all due respect, professor, but what exactly are you looking for or what is this about?" Warden's patience had been wearing thin and he was a little tired of answering questions, "From what I can infer, Ruby and myself are innocent and the only people injured in tonight's disturbance were those thieves."

Ozpin tilted his head. "Do either of you know who I am?"

"You're Professor Ozpin, the Headmaster at Beacon," Ruby answered immediately.

Ozpin, who had seated himself, leaned forward across the table. "You want to come to my school?" he directed the question to the both of them.

Warden, to his saving grace only leaned back in his chair, a surprised and honestly confused expression on his face. He was not expecting this in the slightest; a direct offer from the Headmaster, himself, to one of the most prestigious hunting academies in Remnant. Ruby on the other hand...well, she looked like she was being given a gift from Oum himself, in person.

"More than anything in the world," she breathed. He turned his gaze towards Warden.

"Uh...I-uh, I would be honored, professor," answered the teen, still completely blown away by what was transpiring.

Ozpin gave a questioning gaze to his associate. She scoffed and looked away, rolling her eyes.

With a broad smile on his face and eyes squinted shut, "Well alright."

* * *

 _-Five minutes later-_

Warden took a long breath as he entered his room at the motel he was staying in. When he arrived in Vale, the first thing he expected to do before he applied to Beacon was find a job. But here he was, getting an open invitation from Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon, on what was literally his third day in Vale. He pulled the letter out of his pocket for reassurance. The woman who gave him and Ruby's official documents, Glynda Goodwitch, was also a teacher at Beacon and happened to be the assistant headmistress. The instructions were clear; be at the airstrip on the north side of Vale by 8 am tomorrow. Warden set his sword down and removed his cape and draped it on a chair that was in the room. Removing the rest of his gear, he would only need to take a few minutes to get changed for bed, wash up, and then actually go to sleep.

His sleeping attire consisted of silver sweatpants with a gold stripe heading down the side. He opted to leave a shirt off due to the heating in the room on the fritz. But sleep was something that eluded Warden for several hours. Mind still juggling and trying to make sense of all that had happened, granted with the sudden entry into Beacon, but mostly about a certain young girl he ran into by pure luck.

"Ruby..." he said into the darkness of his room.

The girl was practically bouncing with glee before they left the police station. After a quick hug of farewell, the best of wishes, and the hope of running into each other once more at school, she vanished int the night to Signal at a speed that would be classified as ridiculous. A trail of rose petals followed in her wake. The thought of her brought a smile to the knight's face, no questions needed to be asked to know he made a friend this night. She was eager, adorable, and above all pure of heart, and an exceptional Huntress in training.

However, what him the most was what Ozpin had pointed out that both of them had: silver eyes. Warden knew the tale from his mentor, teacher, and godfather, Xanthe; the silver-eyed warriors, humans that possessed immense amounts of power and combat prowess. So much so that they were supposedly capable of eliminating a Grimm just by looking at it.

Warden sighed as he turned to lie on his back, though went back to his side; he wouldn't think about this right now, he had to get rested and ready for an early day tomorrow. Regardless, he had every intention of scowering the many books held within Beacon's library for any info on the warriors besides the fables that most people knew these days. If by fate, he would be lucky enough to find information, not from an old storybook filled with old fairy tales. But above all, he wasn't the only 'Silver Eyed Warrior.'

The thought brought him comfort and a smile to his face as he finally embraced the quietness of sleep.

* * *

 _-Elsewhere-_

Remnant is known to be littered with the remains of fallen civilizations, so a crumbling castle, surrounded by fields of ash covered ground would not be an entirely surprising sight. But this castle had an ancient purpose. One that has long since been forgotten. Built into the side of a dormant volcano, a massive castle rose up. It's many towers holding together only just. Bricks that made up its foundation aged and cracked. But inside, an ancient enemy plans her moves.

 _ **To Be Continued...**_

 _ **Read and Review.**_


	2. Chapter 2 Beacon Welcomes Heroes of Old

_**Okay, chapter 2. Fixed version.**_

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or For Honor. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and For Honor is owned by Ubisoft._**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 2: Beacon Welcomes Heroes of Old.**_

Warden had his work cut out for him. He wasn't normally a morning person outside of school. But in school, he was almost always ready for practically anything. So it came as no surprise that he was one of the first people at the bullhead that would take him and several other students to Beacon Academy. The airport where the meeting was to take place was like any other airport: lots of security, long lines, and the occasional pushy steward. Thankfully, as a student going to one of the best academies in Remnant, he and the other students didn't have to deal with most of that. But the steward was kinda unavoidable.

When he first arrived, he half expected to find Ruby at the meeting area, but was surprised when he didn't see her. And, internally, a little disappointed. He would've been happy to talk with her again, as a friend, not as a crush. Soon other students began to arrive and check in with the airports' stewards, getting everything checked out. Bringing their luggage onto the bullhead. Warden brought a silver bag slung over his shoulder, and a trunk with a set of wheels to make it easier to move around.

The pilots made their final announcements that the bullhead would be taking off shortly and soon they were off. As the Bullhead began to leave, Warden started to look for somewhere to sit down for the flight when he saw Ruby speaking with another girl. "Oh, I can't believe my baby sister is going to Beacon with me!" gushed the girl as she embraced Ruby in a bone-crushing hug, "This is the best day ever!"

"Yang, please stop..." Ruby pleaded or strained to under the impressive strength of her older sister's hug. Warden raised an eyebrow as he looked at the now revealed siblings.

"But I'm so proud of you!" retorted Yang happily. The girl was a blonde around the age of 17, slightly older than Warden. But hearing her little sister would be on the same airship as her heading right for Beacon, to learn with her, was a gift better than anything she could ask for.

Yang wore a tan vest with gold piping over a low cut yellow crop with a black crest that closely resembled a burning heart. Her vest had puffy cap sleeves with black cuffs while on top of said cuffs were two small golden buttons. Wearing a brown belt with a buckle, a pouch and a small object, reminiscent of a banner hung from her waist. The same heart as before appeared on the banner, with the exception that this one is gold rather than black.

She also wore black shorts under her belt, but these shorts look similar to a pleated skirt from the back. Above the shorts, but underneath the belt was a white back skirt that appeared to be asymmetrical. Excluding the orange scarf around her neck, Yang was wearing no jewelry, at least to what a person could see.

Wearing brown knee-high platform boots that appeared to be made of leather, with orange socks of different heights. Her left leg had a gray bandana/sash wrapped around the top of her boot. On her hands were fingerless black gloves that rested underneath her weapons. These weapons appeared to be mechanical gauntlets with a black design and a yellow coloring. Her long golden locks cascaded down her back in a messy fashion, all the way to her waist.

"Really sis... it was nothing," denied Ruby, trying not to feel so important, even though she did feel incredibly excited. But at least she was trying to be humble.

"What do you mean?" disputed Yang, almost immediately seeing through her sister's attempt, "It was incredible! Everyone at Beacon is going to think you're the bee's knees!"

"I don't want to be the 'bee's knees' ok?!" admonished Ruby, "I don't want to be any kind of knees! I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees."

"So who was that girl with the massive scythe who was practically bouncing with excitement I met yesterday?" joked Warden, indirectly causing both sisters to jump in surprise as he approached them, deciding to speak with the two, "but seriously, aren't you excited Ruby?"

"Warden!" Ruby rushed right over to him and gave the teen an excited hug, which nearly knocked him over. The sudden embrace from her younger sister with the surprised swordsman left Yang with a suggesting and slightly curious glance.

"Oh?" spoke up Yang as she decided to find out what was going on here, and perhaps have some fun as well, "And who is this fine young man, Rubes? A boyfriend that you've secretly gotten?"

Ruby, much to her embarrassment, let out a slight yelp, pink dusting her cheeks as she released, though possibly shoved, Warden for a little space, "What?! No! He's just a friend I met yesterday with Professor Ozpin!"

Yang, though she was incredibly defensive and protective of her little sister, couldn't help but mess with her and push her buttons on some occasions. Especially when boys are involved; Ruby was too introverted for her own good around people her own age already, so finding out that she was already acting so familiar with someone completely new just begged for a good amount of teasing.

Yang's Ruby's sister, it's in herself to have some fun with Ruby.

"Just a friend, right?" spoke Yang with a lowly purr, strutting over to Warden in an obvious way, "Then I take it you won't mind if I... _observe_ for myself?" At this point, Warden had actually taken a slight step back as Yang was right in front of him, staring right into his silver eyes with her lilac ones, "I'm afraid my sister has forgotten her manners; I'm Yang Xiao Long, and you are tasty..." to add emphasis, she delicately placed two of her fingers on Warden's chest and began to slightly walk up to his neck.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Warden." he laughed, though to his somewhat saving grace, was just able to remain composed, despite his face turning slightly red. Yang was just slightly taller than him. Their eyes just about level, though Warden had to look up slightly, "But, just so you know, what Ruby said was true. We literally met, like, nineteen hours ago."

Yang smiled as she stepped back and winked, "I know, I just have fun giving her a hard time." Her once playful expression vanished as her gaze caught a lethal glint, her lilac eyes flashing crimson, "And just so you know, if you do anything to her, I'll make you fucking wish you never met me." Just like it had appeared, that glint vanished, replaced as she closed her eyes and grinned at him, "'kay?"

"Don't need to tell me twice!" he nodded, his expression turned slightly fearful.

"Awesome!" with that, Yang draped her right arm across his shoulder, "Looks like we'll be best friends!"

Warden let out a breath of relief, somehow, a large sweat drop formed, sliding down the back of his head, _'I should remember how lucky I am right now.'_

"Yang!" cried Ruby as she glared at her sister, "stop terrifying him! You're worse than dad!"

"Someone's gotta do it when he's not around," defended Yang as she released Warden from her hold.

Warden snorted in amusement. As the flight continued, an announcement came on, but he realized it was a stock intro for new students, given by the same woman he and Ruby met the night before, Ms. Goodwitch. He mostly tuned out the intro and, looking for something more interesting, his attention turned towards the windows on the port side. Making his way over, Warden was left in awe while the Bullhead turned about, giving it's passengers a grand view of Beacon Academy.

A cluster of grand and ornate towers formed the collection of the grounds, flanked and connected by dozens of smaller buildings. Leading up to it was grand square of gardens, statues, and fountains all arranged in patterns to accent each feature. Two rivers, flanking each side, met in the middle of this plaza and connected that to the landing platform was a long causeway decorated with ivory arches and wrought-iron street lamps. In all honesty, it was like looking at an ancient castle from fairytales.

The platform, where the Bullhead was going to land, was fairly standard and built right on the edge of a sheer cliff face. A stairway and elevator system wound its way down the cliff face to a small dock for watercraft. All those months he spent trekking in the wilderness, braving the elements, surviving the usual Grimm attack, was finally beginning to pay off. He barely noticed Ruby and Yang join him at the window.

"Look! You can see Signal from up here!" She grew calmer, "I guess home isn't too far off after all."

"Beacon's our home now," Yang assured her, putting an arm around her little sister and resting her elbow on Warden's shoulder.

It was true; from this point forward, for the next four years. Beacon Academy was their home away from home. Their reverie was sadly cut short though when another passenger struggled to hold his lunch. A teenage boy with shaggy blonde hair, blue eyes, and wearing some novice combat armor at that. Warden pressed himself as close to the window as possible, giving the teen a wide berth as he stumbled along, swaying dangerously close to Ruby and Yang.

"I guess the view isn't for everyone," Yang commented.

"It was nice while it lasted," replied her sister.

"I wonder who we're going to meet?"

"I just hope they're better than vomit boy..."

A smell drifted up first into Warden's nose, then to the two girls. Ruby was the first to notice what it was.

"Oh Yang, gross! You got some puke on your shoe!" exclaimed Ruby as she looked down.

"Grossgrossgrossgrossgrossgrossgrossgrossgrossgross!" cried Yang.

"Ewww, get away from me, get away from me!"

"Welcome to Beacon," sighed Warden, "hope you survive the experience."

The remainder of the trip was, thankfully, not very long. The Bullhead landed smoothly on the connecting bridge to the school, and with a brief hiss of steam and exhaust, the doors slid open. The boy, which Ruby dubbed him as _'Vomit Boy'_ , was among the first to leave the aircraft, scrambling to find the nearest trashcan. Yang, Ruby, and Warden all cringed as they heard him relieve the contents of his stomach. Warden suspected that the kid might suffer from motion sickness.

Look it's way more common than a person would think. Heck, even Warden was a victim when he was just a kid.

Health aside, Yang was thankfully able to wash her shoes in the restroom in the ship's cabin. So, at the very least, she and the others wouldn't have the smell of puke following around them for the day. But that event was quickly forgotten as the trio stepped out into the fresh air.

"Whoooaaaa!" the two girls breathed as they drank in the sight of the Academy proper.

"The view from Vale has got nothing on this," Yang stated approvingly. It was then Ruby's turn to squeal.

"Ohmigosh sis! That kid's got a collapsible staff!" She clung to Yang's arm like an over-excited puppy, "OHHHH, and she's got a fire sword!"

Ruby was getting ahead of herself and was already on her way prancing. With a shake of her head, Yang yanked her back by her hood.

"Ow owww," she whined.

"Easy there little sis, they're just weapons."

"Just weapons? They're an extension of ourselves; a part of us! Oh, they're so cool..."

"Why can't you just swoon over your own weapon? Aren't you happy with it?" questioned Yang.

To make her point, Ruby extended her scythe from its portable form to its full size.

"Of course I'm happy with Crescent Rose. I just really like seeing new ones. It's like meeting new people," she started deflating. "But better..."

"Come on, Ruby, it isn't that hard," encouraged Warden, as he ruffled her hair slightly, "As long as you're here, you can at least try to make some friends of your own."

Despite the reassurance, Ruby didn't exactly think so as she lightly smacked his hand away. Though she wouldn't admit it, she enjoyed it a little.

"But why would I need friends when I have you two?" replied Ruby.

"Welll..." trailed off Yang as was suddenly surrounded by a small mob of people, "Actuallymyfriendsarehererightnow,gottagocatchup,seeyalaterbye!"

She sprinted past with her mob, leaving Ruby spinning in place like a clumsy top.

"Wait! Where are you going? Aren't we supposed to be going to our dorms? Where are the dorms? Do we even have dorms? I don't know what I'm doing..." she groaned, dizzy and stumbling.

"What the heck just happened?" demanded Warden as he stood, completely shellshocked by what just transpired. Because of this, Ruby accidentally stumbled into him, toppling the two of them over into a luggage cart carrying, several, heavy, white cases.

"Ruby, would you kindly get up," grunted Warden as he sat up, "you're sitting on my stomach."

"Oh, Warden, I'm sorry!" she gasped, scrambling to her feet, but this only achieved her tripping on another fallen case.

"What do you two think you're doing?" cried a shrill voice.

The pair were confronted by what Warden, personally, considered possibly the palest girl he'd ever seen. With icy blue eyes and a frigid aura to match, dressed in white and light blue, with a touch of red. Her snow white hair hangs in a long, off-center ponytail, at the base of which sat a silver tiara.

She wore a pale blue bolero jacket over a similarly colored thigh-length dress with a piece of black lace making up the neckline of the dress. The inside of the bolero is red and the sleeves turn blue as they get closer to her wrists.

"I'm sorry!" Ruby apologized again, this time around to the girl as she attempted to back away from the scattered cases.

"Sorry? Do you have any idea what kind of damage you could have caused?" she directed all of her ire on Ruby now, turning away from Warden.

As the girl directed her ire to Ruby, on the back of her bolero, Warden noticed, displays a crest, which bears a resemblance to a snowflake. With a moment of clarity as he recognized the symbol from previous studies; the crest of the Schnee Family, a powerful Dust Dynasty from Atlas.

"Uhhh..." Ruby replied nervously as she handed a case to the 'Snow Princess'.

"Gimme that!" she snapped as she snatched it away. "This is Dust, mined and purified from the Schnee Quarry."

"Ummm..." Ruby tried to get her bearings, but Princess assumed it was just ignorance.

"What are you, brain dead? Dust? Fire? Water? Lightning? Energy?"

At this point she had opened the case and removed a vial, a red one, shaking the container to punctuate each word. Unfortunately, she was doing all of this directly into Ruby's face, and with each shake came a fresh cloud of the volatile mixture.

"Are you even listening to me? Is any of this sinking in? What do you have to say for yourself?!"

"Woah, Woah, take it easy!" said Warden, noticing that Ruby was about to sneeze, and quickly realizing that Red dust was highly explosive, the Knight shrugged, "Screw it." As soon as Ruby was about to sneeze, Warden rammed his shoulder into the two, not the best way to get someone to safety from an explosion, but eh, he was far more durable than the two.

A miniature and rather fiery, explosion erupted in the courtyard. With some sparks and snowflakes fluttering around, the Knight was covered in a layer of soot. Coughing slightly, Warden brushed himself off, and before he even realized it, Ruby was right in front of him, making sure he was alright.

"OhmyGod!" gasped Ruby, as she checked Warden out for any injuries "OhmyGod,Warden!I'msorry,I'msorry,I'msorry!"

"You don't have anything to be sorry about," rassured Warden as he brushed off the last of the soot, "but enough about me, are you two alright?"

"I'm fine, but what about you!? You just exploded!"

"Been through worse," chuckled the Knight, "takes more than a little explosion to keep me down."

"Unbelievable!" snapped the girl, bring their attention back to her, "This is exactly what I was talking about!"

"I'm so sorry," apologized Ruby, shrinking in on herself as she poked her index fingers together.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," interjected Warden, taking up Ruby's defense, "what happened was a pure accident; a mistake, she meant in no way to harm anyone."

"No one asked you!" she rounded on him. "What are you two even doing here? She's clearly too young and you look like you got spit up by a Deathstalker! The likes of either of you have no business at the most prestigious hunting academy in the world!"

Now that was uncalled for as Warden clenched his fist tightly, his knuckles popping slightly as his ire grew. "Look," he stated, leaving absolutely no room for the girl to continue to degrade them, "she already apologized. Besides, she has as much of a right to be here as I do. And for the record, I had no idea that being a Schnee made you think you were entitled to an automatic superiority to others!"

"How dare you!" the girl was very much insulted, but Warden didn't let up.

"And just so you know, _Princess,_ we were invited by Ozpin himself, so get off your high horse and learn to be a little more humble!"

"It's heiress actually."

All three turned their attention to the new voice. There stood another girl, slightly shorter than Warden's height. Her skin was just a bit darker than Ruby's. She has long, wavy black hair, and her eyes are amber, complemented by light-purple eyeshadow flaring backward.

Her eyes are slightly tilted upwards at the ends, giving her a somewhat catlike appearance. Perched atop her head sat a midnight black bow. She wears black, low-heeled boots and stockings that start off black at her hips but slowly fade to purple as they reach her boots.

Black ribbons hang from both arms, with a detached sleeve and a silver band on her left. She wears a black buttoned vest with coattails and a white sleeveless undershirt that exposes part of her midriff with white shorts that may be connected to her shirt, although it is partly obscured by the vest.

Both legs of her shorts have a zipper down the front, but whether they had a practical use or were just a fashion aspect, Warden couldn't be sure. To finish off the look, she wears a black, collar-like scarf around her neck. Barely glancing from the book she carried, she continued her explanation, a vile of red dust sitting in her other hand.

"Weiss Schnee, Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world."

Weiss perked up with a new level of haughtiness. "Finally, some recognition well deserved."

"The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners," cut off the girl, which resulted in Weiss giving an offended and rather indignant look.

"What the- the nerve of-," Weiss sputtered over her words at the accusation. Ruby couldn't help herself and started giggling.

"Guess, you're not as high and mighty as you think," stated Warden, a smirk on his face.

"Ugh!"

Snatching the vile of dust from the girl's hand, Weiss stomped off, thoroughly fed up with their company. At that point, two men in suits and dark sunglasses stepped forward to retrieve the scattered cases. Once they were gone, Warden directed his attention to Ruby.

"Are you okay?" he asked as Warden dusted himself off, "you look a little shaken."

"Yeah, yeah I'll be fine..." she sighed. She turned to the girl in black. "Hey, thanks for stepping in like-" but said girl was already walking away. "that..."

"Well, look at the bright side, not a bad first day," Warden chuckled as he rubbed the back of his.

"Speak for yourself," Ruby lamented, "This is why I don't like socializing."

"Hey uh..." came another voice, this time a male's, "Is it alright if I tag along with you guys? I kinda don't know my way around either."

"Oh look, it's Vomit Boy," said Warden

"Aren't you the guy who threw up on the ship?" asked Ruby with a giggle.

"What?" the blonde flinched.

"Sorry, but Vomit Boy was the first thing that came to mind," Ruby laughed nervously.

"Yeah? Well, how would you like it if I called you Crater Face?"

"Hey, that was an accident!"

"And motion sickness is a bigger problem than most people let on."

"Right," spoke up Warden, "in any case, what's your actual name?"

"Jaune Arc! Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, and the ladies love it."

"Do they?" Ruby snickered.

"They will! Or at least, I hope they will... ya know my mom always said- nevermind..."

She openly laughed at his embarrassment. "Sooooo, Warden! What kind of weapons do you have?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, you only kinda saw one of them in the fight last night."

They began walking again towards the school, and Warden pulled out his Longsword. Ruby began to coo at the sight of the mighty weapon. It was a double-edged long sword, around four and a half feet long. So long in fact that the pommel reached Warden's chin. The steel held a silver shine while also displaying it was well cared for. The handguard had a broad width, almost like it was a hammer in a sense. Halfway down the blade, a set of intricate designs were made into the sword, patterns that looked closely similar to clouds and lightning. The handle had brown leather straps wrapped firmly around it while in the center of the handguard was a white crystal that seemed to glow. The entire weapon glimmered in the morning light and gave a silver glow. The hilt had several switches built-in, which Ruby could only guess would do.

"This is Fulmine," informed Warden as he looked at the blade with nostalgia, "she was forged when I was just eight with the help of my mentor and godfather."

"Hold on, you actually made that?" asked Jaune, awe lacing his words as he looked at the weapon.

"She's beautiful," breathed Ruby as Warden gently gave it to her.

"She is, at least physically," explained Warden, "my godfather helped make the crystal; it helps me focus and direct my aura during a fight. In the hilt..." Warden gestured to the handle for Ruby, "was hollowed out so I may throw in a dust crystal if I must and the two switches can do two things. One ejects the crystal once it has been used," taking the sword back, he pressed down on the second button and Ruby practically gushed at the sight, "transformers her into an automatic long-range assault rifle."

The middle of the sword split in two and the segments retracted back slightly, making the entire sword shorter. One side of the handguard formed a scope while the other created a trigger. The pommel itself extended slightly and created a butt for the rifle. It was made so well that at first glance, you'd never be able to tell it could do that.

"Makes it easier to get the drop on enemies from long-range, but if I want to mix things up in a fight, I can still split her and use her as a sword but still be able to fire."

Taking Fulmine back, he slid it back into its sheath.

"These are what I used the night before."

Reaching under his cloak, he pulled out his pistols.

"This is Ludex and Iudices, twin automatic magnum pistols with elongated barrels for better range. With their own crosshairs and built with certain alloys to be able to handle dust infused rounds.

"Seriously cool!" said Ruby, at that moment, she extended Cresent Rose to her full size.

"WHOA! Is... that a scythe?" Jaune jumped back in fear.

"It's also a fully customizable high impact sniper rifle."

"Wha...?"

"It's also a gun."

She smirked, cocking back the bolt for effect.

"Oh! That's cool!"

"So how about you?"

"Oh, well I got this sword!" he said, pulling it free from its sheath.

"And a shield too." He jerked the sheath and it extended into a full kite shield.

"Ooooh, so what do they do?" she pressed.

At that moment, Jaune's shield 'jumped' with a click, sending it bouncing around as he desperately juggled to get it back in his grip. Warden raised a brow.

 _'Is this guy serious? Better yet, how did he even get accepted?'_ he thought as he watched the ridiculous display.

"Well... it gets smaller! So if I get tired of carrying it I can just... put it away," he explained, steadily deflating in the face of more awesome weapons.

"But doesn't it still... weigh the same...?" asked Ruby.

"... yeah."

Ruby laughed nervously as she caressed Crescent Rose. "Sorry, I'm a bit of a dork when it comes to weapons. I probably went a bit overboard when I designed her."

"Huh?! You designed it?" Jaune said with incredulity.

"Yeah, all students at Signal forge their own weapons. Didn't you make yours?"

Jaune shook his head as he looked at his sword. "No, it's a hand-me-down. My great great grandfather used it to fight in the war."

"So a family heirloom," elaborated Warden, "perfectly alright; everyone needs a starting point."

"Yeah," added Ruby. "Not many people appreciate the classics. I like it!"

"Yeah, you're right," Jaune had a small smile on his face as he sheathed the blade away.

"So, where are we going?" asked Warden.

The other two paused.

"What?"

"We were following you," answered Ruby.

"Does this place have a food court?" added Jaune.

Warden sighed and slapped a palm on his face.

* * *

 _-Twenty minutes later-_

In the amphitheater or main hall, whichever you prefer, was the location for the welcoming ceremony and was actually pretty easy to find as soon as the found the causeway. In a nick of time as well, the theater was nearly packed by the entire first-year class. Yang had saved them a few spots and hailed them over through the crowd. It was rather easy to pick out the fiery blonde locks. Plus, waving frantically does make it hard to not notice.

"Ruby! Warden! I saved you guys some spots!" she called out to them.

"Oh jeez, sorry Jaune we gotta go. See you after the ceremony!" Ruby blurted out then grabbed Warden by the hand, dragging him to her sister.

"Hey wait! Aw man, now where else am I going to find a nice, cute, quirky girl talk to?"

Yang bounced on her heels as the pair joined her.

"Wow, already holding hands now? What did I miss?"

"Yang!" they both cried out as Ruby quickly threw his hand aside, the two teens glowing red at the blonde's teasing.

Yang just smiled.

"So? How's my baby sister's first day going?" asked the blonde.

"You mean before or after you ditched me and I exploded?" replied Ruby, dryly.

"Are you being sarcastic?" Yang asked in a sing-song voice.

"No! I wish I was," she grumbled before explaining what happened, "First I tripped over some crabby girl's luggage, then she guilt tripped me, and then I sneezed, and then I exploded, and then she yelled at me some more! And I felt really, really bad and I just wanted her to stop yelling at me!"

"Ruby, you might want to stop now," suggested Warden, tapping her shoulder lightly.

"Why?" asked Ruby.

"YOU!"

Ruby jumped into Warden's arms at the sudden outburst from Weiss, who came over during her rant.

"Oh God, it's happening again!" Ruby lamented as she shivered in Warden's arms.

"You're lucky we weren't blown off the side of the cliff!" Weiss continued.

"Oh my God, you actually exploded," Yang said with awe.

"It was an accident, an accident!" cried Ruby as Warden set her down to her feet. She suddenly found a pamphlet titled "Dust for Dummies and Other Inadequate Individuals" shoved into her face by the Schnee Heiress.

"What's this?"

"The Schnee Dust Company is not responsible for any injuries or damages sustained while operating a Schnee Dust Company product. Although not mandatory,the Schnee Family highly encourages their customers to read and familiarize themselves with this easy-to-follow guide to Dust application and practice in the field."

"Huh?"

Weiss huffed. "You really want to start making things up to me?"

"Absolutely...?" Ruby replied with fear.

"Read this and never speak to me again."

Weiss shoved the pamphlet into Ruby's chest and turned away.

"Excuse me, Ice Princess," interject Warden, drawing Weiss' attention, mainly for the nickname and was about to demand an apology, but the Knight continued before she could begin," it was an accident. She didn't mean to cause that explosion. Her nose was just sensitive to the powder Dust from the bottle you shook. In a way, you two are both at fault. I'd also like to apologize for being sharp with you, I was just trying to defend my friend and I just exploded so..."

About a second passed before she recognized him causing her to point at him, "You! You're the one that pushed me away from the explosion and took the hit!"

"I am, and I'll say that I'm glad no one got hurt and I am sorry again for being rude, just defending my friend," apologized Warden, trying to attack professional, but he wasn't really enjoying this girls company But for the sake of letting bygones be bygones, let's forget what happened and try to be friends?"

"Good idea," Ruby agreed, "Hello Weiss, I'm Ruby," she said, holding out her hand. "Wanna hang out? We can go shopping for school supplies-"

"Sure! And then we can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys like tall, blonde, and scraggly over there!" Weiss interrupted with obvious sarcasm, her thumb thrown at an oblivious Jaune behind her.

"Really?" Ruby lit up.

The heiress' expression fell into a deadpan.

"No."

Silence fell over the amphitheater suddenly as Headmaster Ozpin took the stage. He cleared his throat as he approached the microphone, with Professor Goodwitch at his flank and the rest of the Academy teachers lined up behind him.

Ozpin stared at his new students before fixing his glasses, "Ahem... I'll keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far."

Weiss looked down in a moment of what seemed to be hesitance, wringing her hands nervously like a child whose hand got caught in a cookie jar, Yang narrowed her eyes slightly at his partially condescending tone but stayed silent, and as for Ruby... she drank in every word.

"It is up to you to take the first step."

Warden was deep in thought with his arms crossed. Yang commented on how off Ozpin was, but she was wrong. Warden understood his message and know far too well what it means. In any battle, wisdom is part of the puzzle to survive. You need courage, strength, and trust in your comrades to survive the battle. Also, you must be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good even if it cost you your life.

A small memory of seeing his mentor/godfather sacrifice his life to save him flashed behind his eyes. However, he brushed it off as Professor Goodwitch step forward to the microphone once more.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation will begin; be ready. You are dismissed."

The first years began filing out of the theater, a low buzz rumbling through its halls as they started pre-planning their teams or speculated what the initiation test would be.

"He seemed kinda off," Yang commented.

"Yeah, almost like he wasn't all there," agreed Ruby.

Jaune sneaked up behind them, right next to Weiss.

"I'm a natural blonde, you know," he declared with a goofy smile.

"Subtle, Jaune," snickered Warden as he stood up from the table.

As for Weiss, well, the Heiress sighed with frustration as she palmed her face.

* * *

 _-Later-_

For the remaining evening, the entire first-year class had been crowded into the school's ballroom, or what Warden guessed was the ballroom as curtains drawn over massive windows while sleeping bags were set up in rows. Despite the neat arrangement, it left little room for personal space. The group had changed since then into their night clothes, excluding Warden who was yet to return. Ruby, dressed in a black tank top and pink sweatpants with roses, was scratching away in her notebook.

"It's like a _biiiig_ slumber party!" cheered Yang as she dropped beside her. Like Ruby, she also was dressed in a tank top but with cotton shorts, and hers were orange and black.

"I don't think dad would approve of all the boys though," replied Ruby.

"I know I do..." her sister retorted with a saucy grin. She growled as she observed some... specimens of tasteful physique showing off.

"Mama likey..." she growled, rolling her tongue in a delighted purr. She then shuddered as Jaune strode in front and locked eyes with her, wearing a sky-blue onesie.

"Whatcha doing?"

"Just writing a letter back to the gang at Signal. I promised to tell them all about Beacon and how things are going."

"Awww, that's so cuuuuute!" Yang gushed.

"Shut up!" Ruby threw her pillow into her sister's face.

"I didn't get to bring any of my friends to school with me; it's weird not knowing anybody here!"

"What about Jaune? He's... nice. And you came here with Warden too! It doesn't matter you only knew him for a day, that's the fastest I've ever seen you open up to someone. See? Two friends already! That's a 200% increase!"

"Pretty sure Weiss counts as a negative friend... back to one."

"You can't have negative friends, only enemies. Besides, even one is better than none," her sister chimed back. "And speaking of which!"

Ruby looked up and saw exactly who Yang was talking about. Warden, coming from the bathroom, sleeping bag rolled up underneath his left arm. To Ruby's self-loathing, and hope to God that her sister hadn't taken notice, her cheeks had light pink dusting them. While the cloak and jacket hide some of it, but now without the clothing, only a black undershirt and silver sweatpants with a gold stripe going down his legs, but aside from the clothing, a person could easily tell that Warden took well care of himself.

The scar across his silver seemed all the more sex...Wait! What?! Ruby, no! Bad ideas, no thoughts! This was not a time or a place for that. Need a distraction, need a distraction. So Ruby put all of her attention into completing her letter, denying the curiosity to glance at him for a second. It worked for all about twenty seconds...when Warden placed his things down right beside her.

"I'm so glad they gave us the remainder of the day to get a feeling for the school," commented Warden as he made himself comfortable, "the place is like a maze, geez."

"Uh huh," Ruby said offhandedly, beet red and scribbling furiously. At this point it stopped being a letter, just pencil scratches to feign written word.

Warden looked at Ruby for a moment with a raised eyebrow, before turning to Yang confused.

"Did I say something? What's up with her?" he asked.

Yang smiled saucily and sauntered over to the bewildered swordsman with an extra sway in her hips. Oh, this was going to be fun.

"Ruby's just going through that weird age all girls go through when they stop seeing boys as 'icky'. You could say all the boys in this room are just giving her a sensory overload. Or maybe there's just the one that's getting her all hot under the collar?"

"Oh...wah?" Warden glanced back to Ruby, not entirely sure what Yang was referring to but he got his answer in the form of Ruby,

who was rocking back and forth with her pillow to her chest, her usually clear complexion stained red to her namesake.

"Shutupshutupshutupshutupshutupshutup..." she repeated under her breath like a mantra.

Slightly confused, and completely unprepared, Warden was barely able to let out surprised 'Woah' as Yang managed to knock him onto his back and managed to mount him. Much to his charagin, Warden's own face soon began to turn red, enough so that it could rival Ruby.

"So now it's up to big sis to teach her a few things," she declared, leaning down to nip at his neck, her little sister curling into a ball and trying desperately to block out their activity, as well as the naughty thoughts they were creating. Yang was presently surprised to see that Warden was now the one on top of her. An impressed smile and slightly interested look appeared on her face, though the smirk on his face held a different message

"Not that I don't appreciate the attention or the offer for a good time," he started, getting off Yang and now sitting back, having grown more accustomed to her extremely outgoing flirtation, "but I don't think that would be such a good idea." To make his point, he jabbed a thumb in the direction to their right, Yang following his hint to a group of first years who weren't nearly as restrained.

"Aside from the fact that rooms have likely not been prepared, this is actually the first test set up by the teachers. Essentially, they want to see if we are capable to act professionally in a co-ed environment. Beacon isn't the top academy in the world for no reason," explained Warden as he then nodded to the group, "Just watch, each and every one of them will be gone and one an airship right back to their homes, bags packed and will need to wait a full year before they can apply again."

"Damn," whistled Yang as she realized Warden may have just saved her place in Beacon, "that's a pretty good point. Thanks for the head's up."

"Also, if we actually did go all the way, we may have given Ruby and aneurysm," he laughed as he gestured to Ruby, directing Yang's attention back to Ruby who was still shuddering.

"Eheheh, I guess I did get a bit more carried away than usual," Yang admitted, sheepishly rubbing her head with her own blush painting her cheeks.

"Ya think?" Ruby shot back, her color returning to normal.

As Yang tried to recuperate her younger sister, Warden's attention was drawn to the sound of a match being struck. He glanced up to see, one row ahead of them leaning against a wall, was the cat-eyed girl who "saved" Ruby from Weiss. She was cozying up with the same book from this morning as her little section of the hall was illuminated with the soft glow of a candlestick, the girl wrapped snug in a thick and full fitting dark robe.

"Hey Ruby," he spoke up, getting the two sisters' attention. "Isn't that the girl from earlier?"

Ruby looked up to follow his gaze, and her eyes widened slightly. "Yeah, it is her."

"You know her?" asked Yang.

"Not really. She saw what happened this morning. She ended up leaving before I could say anything."

"Well now's your chance!" declared the blonde.

"Wait, what? HEY!" Ruby yelped as her sister yanked her to her feet, Warden following suit after them.

The girl in question glanced over her book at the nearing commotion. She sighed and tried to ignore it, which only got more difficult when they stopped in front of her.

"Helloooooo! I believe you two may know each other?" announced Yang as Ruby turned away with a pout.

"Aren't you... that girl who exploded?" asked the brunette.

"Uh, yeah! My name's Ruby," she said, holding out her hand. "But uh you could call me crater... ya know what, you can just call me Ruby..." she trailed off.

"Okay," the girl replied simply as she turned back to her book.

"What are you doing?" whispered Yang.

"I don't know, help me!" Ruby shot back under her breath.

"So! What's your name?" asked Yang.

"Blake," the girl answered with an exasperated sigh

"Well Blake, I'm Yang! I'm Ruby's older sister! I like your bow!"

"Thanks."

"Yeah, it goes great with your uh... pajamas!"

"Mhmm."

"Soooo... nice night don't ya think?" continued Yang.

"Yes!" Blake spoke up, setting her book down. "Just as nice as this book, that I will continue to read... after you leave."

She picked it back up, huffing as she lost her spot. Maybe if she threw up her usual walls, they would leave her alone.

"Yeah this girl is a lost cause," Yang declared to her sister.

"The book," interjected Warden, deciding to make up for Ruby's shortcomings, "what's it about?"

All three girls perked up at Warden's question. Blake glancing at him.

"Pardon?" asked Blake.

"Your book," he elaborated, sitting down across from her, "what's the plot and the title?"

With a lot of gratitude, Ruby sent Warden a thankful look. His response: the smallest shift of his eyebrow, letting her know he had her back.

Oh," Blake started, caught by surprise. "Well... it's about a man with two souls: one good and one evil, that try to take control over his body."

"That sounds... interesting?" Yang awkwardly supplied.

"I love books," Ruby spoke up, stepping forward and sitting down. "Yang used to read to me every night before bed when we were little. Stories about heroes and monsters, always saving the day and the people around them. They're one of the reasons I want to be a huntress."

For the first time that day, Blake actually cracked a smile.

"Why is that? Hoping we live happily ever after?" she asked.

"I'm hoping we all will," Ruby answered sincerely. "As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books, someone who fought for what was right and protected those who couldn't protect themselves."

"That's very ambitious for a child." Blake set her book down, now fully involved in the conversation. "Unfortunately the real world isn't like those in fairy tales," Blake explained to her as her smile faded away.

"I know that," Ruby replied. "That's why there are people like us, huntsmen and huntresses fighting to make the world a better place. Right?"

Yang and Warden shared a smile, sharing the same thoughts about the little rose petal. Such innocence was a beautiful sight to behold. It could have been a picture perfect moment, then Yang happened.

"I'm so proud of you!" she said, glomping her sister.

"Cut it out!" protested Ruby, the two getting into a noisy scuffle that drew more than a few stares.

Warden and Blake just watched in amusement as the two sisters quarreled with each other. But he quickly noticed the stares coming from a few students and decided to get a handle on things.

"Since we talking about some culture, this reminds me of the protectors of Remnant before the Hunters and Huntresses," spoke up Warden, drawing the attention of the present girls, "According to legend, there was once an ancient order of Knights, the Iron Legion."

As he spoke, Warden reached for his necklace and opened it up. From a tiny projector, a small dimly lit hologram appeared. Yang, Ruby, and Blake looked at the image of a Knight. " _'We are the guardians of our people. We stand strong against all invaders. Duty is our shield. Order, our weapon. When we defend the weak, we become immortal.'_ That was their creed, and their law was that of the Code of Honor. Among the bravest of these Knights were the Wardens."

Taking a closer look at the Knight, Ruby could that whoever it was, wore top of the line armor. Thick plating, overlapping each other to create a nigh-impenetrable wall of metal, and underneath was a coat of chain mail and heavy clothing. Despite the heavy armor, it was clear that it was also pretty flexible, allowing for speed and dexterity.

"The Wardens," narrated the present male Knight, recalling how his godfather described them, "members of an ancient order...fallen into dust. Sworn to defend the weak, masters of the longsword. Their origins lost to history; still, they fight for what is right. Driven by duty, devoted to their people... but only a few may join their order."

"Wow," commented Ruby, having never heard of such heroism, even from the stories her uncle Qrow used to tell her about Huntsmen and Huntresses. It was so cool that Warden knew something like this kind of story. However, Yang had to go and ruin the moment.

"Can I just point out how convenient it is that the name of this guy is also Warden's name?" snickered the blonde bombshell, which caused Ruby to protest.

"Way to ruin the moment!" restarting their previous quarrel.

"What on earth is going on over here?" came a shrill voice.

"Oh joy, the return of the Ice Princess," muttered Warden shutting off the hologram and tucking his locket back under his shirt, earning a giggle from Blake as Weiss stomped over in a long, snow white nightgown.

"Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep?"

She locked eyes with Yang, remembering an earlier confrontation they had after orientation.

"Oh not you again!" they yelled in unison. It was almost comical.

"Guys, seriously! Some people really are trying to sleep," warned Ruby, now suddenly very self-conscious.

"Oh so now you're on my side?!"

"I've always been on your side!"

"I think we're pretty good compared to the sex group over there," informed Warden, setting into Weiss with a level, knowing look and a single index finger giving them clear direction.

The heiress blushed furiously when she followed his gaze. Even Blake lost her composure as she tried to hide behind her book. The swordsman then stood up, feeling enough excitement had been had for one day.

"Anyway, as much as I would like to continue, I would prefer to at least try and get some proper rest before Initiation tomorrow morning. Blake, it was a pleasure getting to know you, and hopefully, we'll be seeing you sometime tomorrow during the tests."

"Likewise, but I didn't get your name."

"Warden," he replied with a kind smile, "Warden Allister."

"It's nice to see you again, and you are?" he gave a polite nod to Weiss, though noticed the expression on her face and decided to explain, "I know who you are and your family, but I like to know the person himself or herself, and not just listen to what other people say."

While Weiss' lips remained in a tightly locked frown, she returned the gesture with a curt incline of her own. However, internally she was actually pretty surprised. Normally, people would ridicule her and her family because of their actions and believed that they were exactly the same. This was the first time that someone just wanted to know her simply as Weiss not as a Schnee. She would be lying that it didn't bring some joy to her heart, but she needed to act professionally. Warden sighed as he returned back to his sleeping bag, the girls' earlier fire steadily dying out. With any luck, their Initiation would play out without a hitch, but if past experiences in the field taught him anything, it was that situations could escalate at the flip of a coin. Fortunately, he was far too drowsy to continue dwelling on the matter.

As his head collided with the pillow, his stray thoughts drifted towards the young rose petal who curled up in the bag next to him. He hoped that awkwardness wouldn't last forever; he rather enjoyed her company, though it seemed she got flustered only whenever her sister got involved. At least she didn't turn her back to him. No pressure, right?

 _ **To Be Continued...**_

 _ **Latin to English translations:**_

 _ **Fulmine = Bolt**_

 _ **Ludex = Judge**_

 _ **Iudices = Jury**_

 _ **The Warden Hologram has the Armor Set is the Fendrel with the Y paint patter on the helmet, Psychedelic 4 on the arms, Hyper Chevrons on the back, Half Chevron on the tunic in front, and painted with the Radioactive Decay. And his sword is the stock. Also, big props SaibotVapor for becoming my coauthor. Thank you so much. This'll make the story go by faster and keep the fans happy!**_

 _ **Read and Review.**_


	3. Chapter 3 The Initiation

_**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or For Honor, RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and For Honor is owned by Ubisoft.**_

 ** _Fixed version, well, more like added to version, but still fixed!_**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 3: The Initiation**_

It was early morning and all the students were still asleep. Having a long night of _fun_ would do that to a person.

While the tired people slept, Warden Allister was just waking up. He was trying to get rid of a prominent headache that had erupted the second woke up. If he was at all being honest, he would have preferred bunking with a King Taijitu that has anger issues, compared to the less than appropriate actions in the ballroom. Specifically, the childish actions of a young girl named Nora Valkyrie hanging on the sleeves of one Lie Ren did not help his situation.

Blinking his eyes a few times, letting out a low yawn, the Knight sat up and stretched himself out. After a moment of getting aware of his surroundings, Warden quickly stood up and gathered his things, intending on getting an earlier start. Carefully navigating the scattered bodies of potential students, though he could already tell who was getting kicked out and sent home.

After a quick jog to the showers, he quickly washed, made sure he had enough deodorant and freshened up. When he was done getting dressed, Warden made his way to the cafeteria where they would be serving breakfast. The meal that the chiefs had prepared were a couple pieces of toast, eggs, and an orange. For a drink, he decided to have a simple cup of coffee. Warden wasn't one for coffee but he would have his once in a while.

"Good morning, Warden," a familiar, male voice called to him after he finished chewing a piece of toast.

"Professor Ozpin," the Knight greeted the headmaster of Beacon.

Ozpin chuckled a little before taking a sip of his coffee, "You know can just call me Ozpin."

"Maybe, but I am going to be a student of yours so best to be polite," retorted Warden kindly.

"I see," nodded Ozpin, "so what do you think of your future classmates?"

"Some have potential, others may need a bit of work, others...well, they'll have to apply next year," he answered, but after taking a moment to think, "overall, they have a lot to learn about becoming a huntsman or huntress and it means to be one."

"Would you care to explain?" asked Ozpin curiously, he had to admit, for someone so young, Warden was extremely perceptive. It was true he was rough around the edges, but he is still young. However, if what he suspects about the boy's ancestry might be true, then Ozpin wondered just how much Knight Warden might actually be.

"In your speech," began Warden, recalling the Headmasters opening speech, "you mentioned that knowledge will only carry you so far; more often than naught, this is true. In any battle, fight, skirmish, whatever, you need power, courage, and friends to help you win. Sure, there are people who can take a lot on by themselves, they will still need help in the end. Help that can be obtained with good friends."

"Your analogy is impressive. You are the first to figure out the meaning of my speech this quickly."

"Pain isn't taking hits for a noble cause," surmised Warden, "it's when others aren't there to take the hits with you. But just out of curiosity, why did you give them that? It seemed more suited for soldiers than Huntsmen, students at that."

Ozpin gently rests his mug on the table and placing his empty hand over his cane along with his other hand, "While it is true my speech is better suited for soldiers, but they needed to hear it. Many of them believe Huntsmen and Huntresses are powerful and invincible... This way of thinking will lead many of them to their downfall... Huntsmen and Huntresses can fall like anybody else and die just the same. Giving that speech will show them that being a Huntsman or Huntress is more than just slaying Grimm."

"Too true," nodded Warden.

"Well, the best of luck to you in the initiation," encouraged Ozpin as the professor stood up.

"It was a pleasure speaking with you," the teen raised his mug of coffee as he bid the headmaster farewell.

As he left, Warden began to finish the remainder of his breakfast. After a few minutes and depositing his dishes at a sink, save for his coffee mug, the Knight just got another cup when a familiar voice came up behind.

"Morning."

Turning around, Warden saw the same girl from last night, Blake Belladonna.

"Good morning, Miss Belladonna," greeted Warden as he sat down across from the raven-haired girl. She had her own breakfast, which consisted of a similar set as his.

"I'm surprised to see you up this early," began the girl, "didn't peg you for an early morning person."

"I'm not really, but for important things, I make it a priority to be ready and awake Miss Belladonna," explained Warden.

"Same." She raise an eyebrow when she heard the 'miss' comment for a second time, "Why are you calling me miss?"

"Sorry," apologized Warden as he leaned back to scratch his head, "My godfather raised me when I was a baby and he was a bit traditional, like Knight chivalrous way. So every once in a while, I address people that way. Xanther always said that it would be best to address a person you just met politely. Better to make a good first impression. Sorry if I offended you in any way."

She simply just blinked in surprise before smirking, "You're quite a gentleman, you know that?"

"Training to be similar to Knight has that effect," he chuckled lightly.

Blake simply chuckled, "You can simply call me Blake. I don't mind."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Blake, properly anyway," The Knight took a sip from his coffee mug before standing up, "I should be going, I hope you enjoy that book of yours."

"Thank you."

* * *

- _1 hour later-_

Some time passed and Warden decided to explore the academy a bit more. But he quickly picked up his gear, knowing that the announcement for the Initation will be coming along soon. Until then, he had some time to explore the school. Looking around the hallways, getting acquainted with everything Beacon had to offer. As the Knight made his way through the winding school, he decided to go to the locker room. Upon entering, he saw both Nora and Lie Ren in there. Warden rolled his eyes as he ignored them. He really didn't need to worsen his headache.

As he continued walking around, he spotted a familiar face, or rather two. Weiss was currently speaking with someone he hadn't seen for a while. An old friend in fact. Pyrrha Nikos.

Pyrrha is a redheaded girl, standing a few inches taller than him, years of training shown in honed and well-cut muscles. She wore her waist-level hair in a ponytail, curled slightly into a loose ringlet. Her top consisted of two layers. The top layer was a light-brown, strapless top split divided vertically with some bronze patterns. It appeared to resemble a leather and bronze cuirass, and seemed to be quite stiff, maintaining its shape without support; this layer also seems to have some kind of riveting or small, round embroidery on the sides.

The bottom layer is a low bronze V-neck. Pyrrha wore an elastic, black, A-line mini skirt and brown opera-length gloves on both arms. She wore a red ankle-length drapery that appeared to be wrapped around her skirt. Elaborate bronze greaves dressed her thighs, continuing downwards to her bronze, high heeled boots. A bronze bracer decorated her left arm. Strapped to her back were a shield and a collapsible spear.

"Morning all," greeted Warden as he spoke to the pair.

Weiss turned only to smile, "Oh, morning."

"It's good to speak with you, Weiss," as Warden was speaking, the girl that the Schnee was speaking with leaned over, like she was trying to get a better look at him, "And it's good to see you again, Pyrrha."

"Warden!" greeted the Spartan as she suddenly him into a hug, "I haven't seen you in ages!"

Back when Warden was just a kid, his godfather happened to be a good friend of Pyrrha's mother. So it came as no surprise the two knew each other unless you didn't know about the Invincible Girl's personal life. The two were both really good friends, and more the once, did Pyrrha's mother try to set them up, and while they did harbor a small affection for one another, it was a sibling love, not a romantic.

As time went on, Pyrrha became very famous but would occasionally, and also privately, head out to Vacuo where Warden grew up and spend some time with him. The Knight was one of the few people that could hold his own against the warrior. Even though it has been a while since they last sparred, Pyrrha has yet to beat him. But Warden has yet to beat her.

"I could say the same about you," replied Warden returning the embrace. He was pretty glad to see someone familiar. Soon the two separated, "How have you been?"

"I've been well," answered Pyrrha, though he expression turned slightly, "but what about you? I thought you were still in Vacuo."

Warden's expression hardened, turning a bit somber, "I was."

It didn't take much for Pyrrha to see his expression change. She had heard what happened.

"Um, excuse me," interrupted Weiss, drawing the pair's attention. The Ice Princess's expression still held some bewilderment as to what just happened and how Warden knew Pyrrha Nikos, "but, you two know each other!"

"Pyrrha and I go way back, before she became the _'Invincible Girl,'"_ Warden threw in some air quotes, using his fingers, "my godfather and her mother were good friends. More than once did your mom try to set us up."

"Don't remind me," chuckled the redhead.

Before Weiss could ask anything else, the intercom came on and Professor Goodwitch's voice echoed through the room, _'Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately.'_

"Welp," began the Knight as he unsheathed Fulmine. He made it a habit to check the blade for cracks or fractures. When he found none, he returned it back to its sheath, but quickly checked Ludex and Iudices to see if they were fully stocked up, "Time to face the music."

* * *

 _-Launch site-_

Warden rolled his shoulders as he got ready for the morning's initiation. Said Initiation started on a cliff side overlooking the Emerald Forest, the constant fresh air and the conversations he had helped clear his mind further. As they were now, about 40 of them stood atop spring-loaded platforms. It didn't take a genius to figure out just how this was starting. They stood in a single file line, with Yang to his right and Pyrrha to his left.

"Try not to have too much fun out there without me, Pyrrah," Warden spoke to the Spartan warrior with a smile, extending a hand to shake, "I'd be a nice change to do battle with you instead of against you."

"The feeling is mutual, Warden," she answered with a smile of her own, returning the gesture by taking his hand.

"May the best warrior prevail," concluded Warden as he then turned to the blonde bombshell.

"Yang," spoke up the knight, "you ready?"

"I was born ready," replied the blonde cockily as she gave him a ready grin.

"But I take it you noticed that our little orgy friends were sent home," he gestured around them, noting the drastically lower number of students.

She let out a low whistle. "Wow, they didn't waste any time did they?" she commented.

"Of course we didn't, Miss Xiao Long," came the authoritarian voice of Professor Goodwitch. Headmaster Ozpin leisurely followed her, coffee mug in hand, as they took their places facing the line, "Such... behaviors have no place at this academy, and in the field have shown to prove disastrous to team functionality, increasing mortality rates."

She fixed Yang with a pointed glare. _'Great, she knows. I better thank Warden after_ _all this for saving my neck.'_

Ozpin cleared his throat as he addressed the new recruits. "For years, you all have trained to be warriors. Today, those abilities will be tested here, in the Emerald Forest."

Goodwitch stepped forward. "Now I know you have been hearing rumors about team assignments, so allow me to put an end to your confusion. You will be given teammates... today."

"What?" uttered a worried Ruby.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon, so it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well," continued Ozpin.

Ruby's panic only increased.

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing shall be your partner for the next 4 years."

"...what?!" she cried out.

"Given some recent... disqualifications," he adjusted his spectacles, "there may be a few teams with an extra hand. For the purposes of this class, each case will be settled in turn based on that group's performance."

Yang and Warden turned to Ruby, the blonde giving her sister a thumbs up, while the Knight gave her a reassuring smile, it calmed her slightly, but not as much as she would have preferred.

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will encounter opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die."

Jaune laughed nervously, swallowing the golf ball sized lump in his throat.

"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of this initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path, containing several relics. Each team will choose one. You will retrieve these relics and return here to the top of the cliff, defending them and your standing. Are there any questions?"

Jaune hesitatingly raised his hand. "Uh yeah, sir-"

"Good! Take your positions."

"Um, sir? I've got uh... a question. Are you going to be like... dropping us off?"

Weiss and Blake were launched from their platforms.

"No, you will be falling."

Ren and Nora were next, the latter giggling madly at the sudden "roller coaster."

"Oh... I see... did you uh, hand out parachutes for us?"

Pyrrha was sent next, while Warden noticed that he hadn't gone yet.

"No, you will be using your own landing strategy."

Yang gave her little sister a wink as she slipped on a pair of shades, rocketing off into the distance. Ruby turned to Jaune and gave him a sympathetic smile, then she was gone too.

"Uhhhuhh... so what exactly is a landing strategYYYYYY!"

Ozpin smiled as he took a sip of his coffee. Interesting indeed.

"You enjoy being devious don't you?" asked Warden before he to was suddenly launched.

"A little..." chuckled the Headmaster as he watched the boy go flying.

* * *

 _-In the air-_

There were a few things that gave Warden the rush of adrenaline, especially as big of a rush as free-falling. But he would be landing soon and needed to get ready, this didn't mean he wouldn't be able to take a look at his classmates.

Weiss made perfect and practical execution of her glyphs as jumping platforms to slow her descent. He also noticed her weapon of choice was a rapier, but at this distance couldn't make out any details. Pyrrha smashed into trees with her shield, her form never buckling from the impacts. He couldn't find Blake anywhere and assumed she already hit the ground.

An explosion rippled ahead of him. Swinging his head right and forward, he laughed openly at the sight of Yang, firing rounds from her gauntlets to propel herself higher and faster than what gravity would allow. She was having the time of her life.

Now it was his turn, and he was heading right for a tree. Taking out his long sword, Warden took it in both hands and cleaved right through the wood of a tree. Passing by another, he snapped his left hand out and grabbed a hold of the bark of a tree, focusing his Aura into his fingertips with the help of his crystal embedded in his sword. A gold glow enveloped his hand and the Knight made a sharp left, turning a full ninety degrees as he flipped to the ground with a thunderous impact. He barely felt the impact, even though the ground was fractured around him. That was the thing about Knights like him; they were shock troopers: strong defense, offense, and endurance.

Ruby wasn't far ahead, extending Crescent Rose and hooking herself to several branches as she swung down to safe, hard earth. On the outside, she was calm but inside she was screaming.

 _'Gotta find Yang! Gotta find Yang, gotta find Yang, gotta... fiiiiind...'_ she thought frantically but soon couldn't contain herself.

"Yaaaaang!" she cried out at the top of her lungs.

Her inner monologue continued. _'This is terrible. What if I don't find her? What if someone else finds her first? Come on Ruby, think! Who else do you know here? Maybe Jaune...? He's nice, fun to talk to, and funny! But probably not that great in a fight... Oh! How 'bout Blake? Calm, confident, and mysterious, and she likes books! But then again I probably wouldn't be able to hold a conversation with her... ugh! How 'bout Warden? He's strong, he's cute, and we already fought together against that Torchwick guy, but he took off after all of us! He's probably way behind at this point... dang it, who else do I know at this school? There's Yang, Jaune, Blake, Warden, aaaand...'_

She skids to a stop as she came into a clearing, finding none other than the Ice Princess, Weiss. They shared a look for a few moments. The Heiress showed no outward signs of disdain or hostility, and Ruby's initial anxiety shrank a bit. She showed it with a small smile. Then the girl was leaving.

"Wait! Come back!" Ruby called out. "We're supposed to be teammates..."

Weiss huffed as she struggled through the underbrush. Idiot Crater Face was one of the last people she wanted to be teamed up with. The immature little girl would only slow her down. She sighed as she forced her way into another clearing, only to be drawn to the sound of muttering. She looked up to find Jaune... nailed to a tree by Pyrrha's spear. He chuckled nervously, all the confidence he showed in the locker room that morning completely gone. "Uh, a little help?"

 _'No no no no no, and no,'_ she thought as she stomped back the way she came, towards Ruby.

Ruby was snapped out of her lamentations as Weiss pushed past her, grabbing her by the hood while growling, "This does not make us friends."

"You came baaack!"

"Hey wait! Who's gonna get me down from here?" yelled Jaune as he struggled with the spear.

"Jaune?"

He looked down to find Pyrrha smiling up at him. "Do you... still have room on your team?" she asked with a smirk.

"Very funny..." he muttered, but he then smiled too.

Weiss in the meantime trudged along through the underbrush.

"What's the hurry?" called out Ruby.

"I will not let my mission be delayed because you were being too slow," she ground out. "I swear if I get a bad grade because of your- what the?" She was cut off as Ruby appeared in front of her in a flurry of rose petals.

"I'm not slow, see? You don't have to worry about me!"

"How did you-"

"Weiss... just because I don't know exactly how to deal with people doesn't mean I don't know how to take care of monsters. You're about to see a whole 'nother side of me today," Ruby gushed as she put an arm around the Heiress' shoulders. "By the end of today, you're going to be thinking 'Wow, that Ruby girl is really, really, cool... and I wanna be her friend.'"

With that, she disappeared once more, rose petals fluttering around in her wake. Weiss indignantly waved them from her face.

"You may be fast, but you still excel at wasting time!" She was answered only by rustling of leaves and then silence. "Ruby?" she called out. A menacing air seemed to fall over the clearing. Weiss dropped low into a stance, her hand drawing her rapier, Myrtenaster.

"Ruby?" she asked more quietly. This time she was answered by menacing growls. Weiss gulped as numerous pairs of red eyes appeared within the underbrush, piercing her with their gaze. Beowolves. One of them stepped out from behind a tree, the alpha of the pack. Scraggly, black fur covered its wiry physique, protrusions of bone sticking out here and there, and the bloodied skull mask adorning its face showed numerous scars and scratches. Weiss swallowed the lump in her throat as the rest of the pack began to converge on her, all of them growling in a cacophony of hunger.

"This is nothing Weiss, you can handle it," she thought. "Just remember your training. Head up, shoulders back, right foot forward... not that forward!" She narrowed her eyes at her target, the alpha himself. If she could kill him, the rest of the pack should scatter. "Slow your breathing, wait for the right moment to strike and..."

"Now!" Her sword close to her face and parallel to the ground, Weiss shot forward with her aura, poised with a fire dust crystal primed and ready.

"Gotcha!" announced a suddenly appearing Ruby, her scythe cutting into the same beowolf at the waist. Weiss panicked and stumbled, swiping her sword off to the side as the crystal discharged, sending a torrent of flame into a nearby tree.

The attack wasn't enough to kill it though. With an angry growl, it swiped its claws at Ruby, the girl barely raising Crescent Rose in time to block the attack. She was sent flying backward by the force, into Weiss.

"Hey watch it!" she bit at her.

"Excuse me, you attacked out of turn! I could have killed you," berated Weiss.

"You'll have to try a lot harder than that..." grumbled Ruby.

The wolves began howling in unison as the two girls backed up together. Ruby loaded a fresh clip into her scythe, cocking back the bolt as she held it at her waist. But the fires from Weiss' failed attack were spreading. They jumped to the side with a yelp when an ignited tree fell beside them.

"We have to go," declared Weiss as she grabbed Ruby's arm. Together they made their escape, the flames covering their tracks and keeping the Grimm from following.

They kept running until they were certain they had finally lost the Grimm. As they slowed to a stop, Weiss bent over at the waist, panting as she tried to catch her breath. Ruby, on the other hand, was barely even winded.

"What was that?!" she asked. "That should have been easy!"

"Well maybe if you had exercised even the slightest bit of caution in the placement of your strikes, I wouldn't have set the forest on fire!"

Ruby scoffed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It just baffles me that someone who can talk so much does so little communication during an encounter."

"I'm sorry that you needed MY help to win in a fight. I can handle myself just fine on my own!"

"Congratulations then on being the strongest 'child' to sneak your way into Beacon. Bravo." Weiss gave a mock bow and turned on her heel, walking off into the underbrush. Ruby yelled in frustration as she followed her, angrily cutting a tree in half.

* * *

"Helloooooo? Is anyone out there?" called Yang as she strode through a misty part of the forest. "Hellooooooooo! I'm getting bored here."

Her attention was drawn to some rustling in the bushes. "Someone there?" She ran over to investigate, shoving the foliage aside. "Ruby is that you?" she asked, smiling. A growl answered her and she looked up. "Nope."

The blonde back-flipped out of the way of a massive claw swipe. Two Ursai, the Grimm's twisted version of a grizzly bear, charged after her. She rolled to the side as the second Ursa swung for her head. Activating her gauntlets, Ember Celica, she stared her opponents down.

"I don't suppose you two have seen a little girl, have you? Black hair with red ends, wearing a red cloak?"

The Ursa's answer was to charge her again. She smirked and dodged underneath another claw swipe, sending a punch into the Ursa's chest. A shotgun blast from her gauntlet accompanied the punch. Three more were beaten into the Grimm, forcing it to stumble back on its hind legs. Yang followed it up with a jump, spinning side kick into its chin.

"You could just say no!"

The Ursa roared, voicing its response, one stepping forward to take another swipe at her. Yang laughed as she vaulted back out of range.

"Geez. You guys couldn't hit the broad side of a-" Time seemed to slow as a single, gold lock of hair drifted past her vision. It fell to the floor, making not even a fraction of a sound, yet it felt like a gavel had dropped. "You..." Yang growled out as her aura began to flare. The Ursa looked at each other in confusion.

 **"YOU MONSTERS!"** she roared, eyes turning scarlet, her body erupting in flames as she tapped into her Semblance.

The Grimm had no time to react as Yang shot forward with fiery speed. She buried her fist into the first one's stomach, following up with a relentless barrage of punches, shotgun blasts, and kicks. The Ursa was dead before it even hit the ground, its body thrown through multiple trees. The second one roared out to her, squaring up to deal with the new threat.

"What, you want some too?!" she challenged.

It didn't get to respond, its body locking up as the sound of a blade severing its spine echoed throughout the clearing. The Ursa, having been reared back on its hind legs, fell forward with a crash, revealing Blake standing behind it with her hand wrapped around the ribbon attached to Gambol Shroud, her chain scythe, embedded in the Grimm's back. With a yank, the blade pulled free and she promptly stowed it away, smirking the whole while. Yang shrugged.

"Eh, I could've taken him."

Blake said nothing, only shaking her head in amusement as she motioned Yang to follow.

* * *

Warden strolled through a forest. Keeping a leisurely pace; something off considering the danger around him. His breath came out as mist, letting him know that he was likely in an area with a colder climate. How he ended up in one of the colder parts of the forest was beyond him. As he was walking, he wasn't paying attention completely and accidentally walked into a King Taijitu, a massive two-headed Grimm snake. The Grimm was currently sleeping soundly but it stirred slightly and its eyes opened up, though tiredly.

"Excuse me," apologized the Knight, patting the snake on the nose before continuing on his way. The Grimm, which had been hunting for most of the night, just let out a snort before it shifted back and returned to sleep.

At least this human was polite.

Warden started to wonder if everyone had completed the test already, aside from the explosion earlier he hadn't seen or heard anything from anybody. It was starting to wear on his nerves. Would he be disqualified if he completed the mission alone? Obviously, they were monitoring him so it wasn't like they didn't know.

"Come on, where is everyone?" muttered Warden to himself as he continued walking. He kept up a pace and made his way to a large clearing. Some pieces of ruins littered the area as a large temple rose out from the foliage. It's crumbling supports arranged in a circle, surrounding an overgrown stone floor with multiple stone pillars. This was it, so where was everyone else?

When he was halfway across the clearing, he heard the low growl and saw multiple red eyes all around him all glaring at him. A few Grimm emerge from the woods consisting of Beowolves and Ursas. More and more came out as more red eyes started to appear. Warden could tell he was severely outnumbered and there was no escape from this battle.

"Well, might as well get some exercise," grunted Warden as he took out his longsword, though he reached under his cloak and pulled out a small device. It was a music player. Quickly scrolling down, he found the song he wanted and pressed play.

 _(Play: Unstoppable, The Score)_

He then adopted a stance and prepared for the coming fight as the music began, "Alright, you animals, you want a piece of me?"

One Ursa snarled as a Beowolf snapped its jaws.

"Come get some."

* * *

Jaune and Pyrrha were lost. After a run-in with some Beowolves, they lost their sense of direction and were just wandering whichever way felt right. It brought them to a large cliff face with several markings painted on the side. They all referred to a cave a little walk away.

"Think this is it?" asked Jaune as they approached the mouth of the cave. Pyrrha shrugged and followed him in.

* * *

"It's definitely this way," declared Weiss as she walked off into one direction. Ruby sat cross-legged on the ground playing with a stray leaf out of boredom. "I'm mean... no, this way! It's DEFINITELY this way!" Weiss changed direction again. She spun around once more and stopped in front of Ruby. "Ok, it's official. We passed it."

Ruby huffed and stood up. "Why can't you admit that you have no idea where we're going?"

"Because I know exactly where we're going."

"Really, and which way is that?"

"We're going to... the Forest Temple!"

"Ugh!"

"Oh stop it, it's not like you know where we're going either."

"At least I'm not the one pretending like I know everything!"

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"It means you're a big, stupid jerk and I hate you!"

"Ugh! Just keep moving," Weiss snarled and walked away.

"Oh just keep moving," Ruby mocked her behind her back. "Hurry up! Wah wah, watch where you're going! Why are you always so bossy?"

"I am not bossy, stop saying things like that!" Weiss denied, rounding back on her.

"Stop treating me like a kid!"

"Stop acting like one!"

"Well stop acting like you're perfect!"

"I am not perfect," Weiss groundout, "But I will be, and I'm still, leagues better than you." She turned away a second time, this time with a glare.

"You don't even know me..." Ruby deflated.

* * *

"I think the temple is this way," said Yang as she and Blake made their way through the forest. They had run into a few Grimm: Beowolves and an Ursa or two, which had been easily dealt with. In the time since then, they had been making pretty good time. However, Blake suddenly stopped as she looked up.

"Do you hear that?" she asked, looking off to the right.

"Uh, I don't hear..." began Yang, not entirely sure what her partner was talking about until she herself heard what sounded like the snarls of several Grimm, a few gunshots, and... music? "Yeah, I hear it."

"This way," suggested Blake as she sprinted off in the direction of the music. Yang following closely behind.

In a few moments, the two burst out of the foliage to see Warden locked in combat. The Knight was proving his mettle to an impressive degree as he went toe to toe with numerous Ursas and Beowolves. But what caused Yang to smirk was the fact that he was also blasting music as he fought.

The Knight impaled his long sword through the underbelly of a Beowolf, the Grimm letting out a dying howl. Shoving it back so that it was standing on its hind legs, Warden smashed his right shoulder into the beast while also adjusting his grip so that he was holding the blade of his sword.

To keep from cutting himself, he held the blade in a special grip to make sure he didn't lose it but maintained a proper hold of it. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw an Ursa charging at him from behind, the bear letting out an angered roar. Warden only smirked as he suddenly struck the hilt of Fulmine in the throat of the Beowolf he just impaled with a backhanded strike. He purposefully swung wider than what was needed so that he could stab the tip of his sword into the neck of the Ursa.

Taking hold of the handle, spun around the Ursa, keeping the longswords blade pressed firmly against the neck of the beast and proceeded to decapitate the Grimm in a spinning slash. Following the spin, Warden came to a stop in a kneeling stance, Fulmine transformed into its rifle mode and fired upon three charging Grimm. A spray of bullets collided with the creatures and they were quickly cut down by the projectiles.

Switching his weapon back to its sword form, Warden rolled to the side as two Beowolves leaped at him. As he rolled, he quickly sheathed Fulmine and brought out Ludex and Iudices to bare. Spinning around, he fired both weapons at the Grimm, the dust bullets exploding against their hides as the shots struck them.

Silence fell across the clearing as Warden ceased fire and relaxed. Though his instincts suddenly flared as he felt someone was nearby. Without even realizing it, he spun around and grabbed something from behind and flipped over his shoulder, slamming whatever it was into the ground. Quickly taking aim with Ludex, he was about to shoot the possible Grimm when he saw what, or rather who it was.

The person he was pinning wasn't at all a Grimm, but in reality, it was actually Yang. He was using Iudices to pin her throat and to the ground but quickly turned the safeties on and let go of Yang in order to stand up and help her back to her feet.

"Yang, I am so sorry!" apologized Warden as he checked to see if he hurt her, "you okay?"

The smiling Yang rubbed her throat as she flapped a hand up and down, "It's fine. But damn you got some sweet moves. How did you do that?"

"Sharp instincts thanks to my mentor," replied Warden, though his expression still showed he was concerned, "but seriously, you sure you're okay? I did throw you pretty hard."

"Relax," assured the blonde, "I can take a hit." It was after all the excitement, and getting thrown by Warden did Yang realize that he was alone, "You don't have a partner yet?"

"No, I was the last one to go, strangely," replied Warden as he, Yang, and Blake approached the temple, "Aside from an explosion earlier, I haven't seen anyone since the test started. Aside from you, Blake, and those Grimm, I haven't seen anything."

"That's really weird. Blake and I had to fight a pair of Ursai on the way here."

"Well I did pass a King Taijitu earlier but it didn't chase after me, little too tired I suppose," mused Warden.

"Man, I was hoping Ruby would be with you," Yang sighed.

"Really?" chuckled Warden as he stopped at the entrance.

"I know she can take care of herself but as her older sister, I guess I can't help but worry sometimes," Yang chuckled as well.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," commented Blake. "On the other hand, looks like we're officially a three-man team now."

Yang nodded. "Yep. Team Badass is now official," she declared as she pumped her fist. She looked at all the relics. "Hey some of them are missing."

Inside the temple, several pillars stood with a small object on top of them: the relics. Strolling to see what the relics were, Warden stepped forward, examining the pieces with a curious eye. They all resembled chess pieces. More of Ozpin's cryptic symbolism?

"I guess we aren't the first ones to get here," commented Blake. "Which one should we take?"

Yang put a hand to her chin as she gave it some thought. "How about... a nice horsie?" She grabbed the white night. Blake shook her head and smiled.

"It's called a Knight actually," pointed out Warden.

"Call it what you want, it's a horsie in my book," replied Yang smugly as she

* * *

"Jaune... I don't think this is the place," said Pyrrha as they slowly made their way through the cave.

"Pyrrha, I made the torch," he replied, shaking it for good measure. "At least humor me for like, 5 more steps?" He promptly tripped over a rock, into a puddle, and the torch went with him, submerging them in darkness.

"Do you... feel that?" Pyrrha hesitantly asked.

"Soul crushing regret?" Jaune replied hopelessly.

"No, it feels... warm."

He froze, realizing she fell with him and had pissed himself. He actually pissed himself.

"Nope, haven't the slightest idea!" he laughed nervously. "Let's keep going!"

Easier said than done, the pair being forced to feel their way forward through the dark. It felt like they were rounding a corner when a soft, warm light was bathed over them. Jaune's mood perked up immediately. Floating in from of them was an odd, sharp shape that glowed orange.

"Pyrrha," he whispered excitedly, "I think we found it! We found the relic!" He reached out to grab it, only for it to back away from him. "H-hey!" he protested and grabbed again, still missing. "Stupid relic, stay still!" He jumped this time, wrapping both his arms around it as it lifted him into the air. "Got it!"

"Um, Jaune?" she tried to tell him as she realized what it really was.

Jaune looked forward to see hundreds of glowing red eyes staring back at him. He went white. The rest of the body lit up, bathing the cavern in a low, red glow, revealing a giant scorpion Grimm, a Deathstalker. Jaune had grabbed the stinger at the end of its tail. At that point, the mind of Jaune Arc emptied of all rational thought. The boy from a meager farm in the agricultural district of Vale was now hanging from the stinger of a demonic scorpion as he literally stared death in the face. His father, grandfather, and great-grandfather would have been proud. Would have. Because he did the only thing he possibly could do in that situation; screamed.

Pyrrha ran, ran as fast as humanly possible, the angry Deathstalker hot on her trail. The only good thing she thought of this was that the monsters natural illumination let her see where she was going. She swung around the corner and sprinted for the cave entrance. Luck of the draw. Warm sunlight bathed over her as she broke into fresh air. The Deathstalker... took the wall out with it, now a small two-person opening could accommodate a giant Grimm Scorpion.

"Pyrrhhaaaaaa!" Jaune cried out. "Oh, god why, why! Pyrrha this isn't the relic! It's not!" The Deathstalker shook its tail harder, realizing one of the humans was still hanging on. "Do something!"

Pyrrha's spear extended to full size, her shield fixed to her bracer. "Jaune! Whatever you do, don't let-" His scream went louder as the deathstalker reared back with its tail and flung forward as hard as it could, sending Jaune flying through the air for the second time that day. "...go." She trailed off. She watched him disappear into the distance for a moment, but only a moment. She turned her attention back to the Grimm. It was old, very old. It's white bone protrusions were cracked and scarred. Some moss had even grown into the crevices between the plates of its chitin. For the first time in her life, Pyrrha Nikos felt genuinely outmatched, so she spun on her heels and ran.

Back at the temple, Yang jumped at the sudden high pitched wail coming from the distance. "A girl is in trouble!" she said as she reflexively activated Ember Celica. "Blake, Warden, what should we do?"

They didn't answer her, both of them transfixed at the sky as something rapidly descended on them.

Meanwhile IN the sky, Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee, in a culmination of teammate frustration, fatigue from the forest, and all around impatience to get the mission over with decided (well Ruby decided and Weiss played along against her better judgment) to do something rather rash.

"Ruby!" the Heiress yelled over the whipping of wind in their ears. "I told you this was a terrible idea!" She clung to the feathers with such a death grip, her hands were even paler than the rest of her. Yep, Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee had hitched a ride on a monster raven, a Nevermore.

"We're fine!" Ruby yelled back, "Stop worrying!"

"I am SO FAR beyond worrying!"

"... in a good way?"

"In a BAD WAY! A VERY. BAD. WAY!"

"Well, then why don't we just jump!"

"What are you insane?!" She never got her answer, because Ruby was gone. Her mind clicked. "Oh, you INSUFFERABLE LITTLE RED-"

"Guys, didn't you hear that?" Yang was waving at them. "What are we going to do?"

Blake and Warden simply pointed up, gaining the blonde's attention.

"Heads uuuuup!" screamed a free falling Ruby. Warden tensed up, ready to catch her when a blonde and brown blur intercepted her, which just happened to be a terrified, screaming Jaune Arc. The pair crashed into the trees across from the temple.

Dizziness spun in Ruby's head, her eyes were seeing stars. The fall and the impact did a number on her. "Oh god..." she groaned. "What was that?"

"Ahem..." She shook her head and looked up, to see Jaune hanging by his legs from a branch above her. "Hey Ruby," he greeted her sheepishly.

"Did... your sister just fall out of the sky?" asked Blake as she looked towards where they landed.

"I..." Yang started, just as confused as her friends, but was interrupted by a loud snarling and crashing trees.

"Yeeeeehaaaaaww!"

An Ursa came flailing out of the treeline, screaming bloody murder until it was silenced by a massive, pink electrical surge on its back. A young girl hopped off its back, orange hair with a black and white jacket and white tank top with a tiny heart cut above her collarbone to accent her cleavage. She wore a white detached sleeve on each arm and a short, pink skirt that reached her mid-thigh. On her feet were pink and white boots, with pink laces. Strapped to her back was a pink and silver grenade launcher. A boy stumbled out from behind her, dressed in a green eastern style jacket and white slacks. His black hair was tied into a long ponytail.

"Aw man, it's broken," the girl whined as she smacked the Ursa on the head.

"Nora..." spoke Lie Ren. "Please... don't ever do that again." He heard a whoosh and looked up to find her gone.

Nora ran over to the temple, completely ignoring the trio that made it before them in her narrow span of attention. "Oooooh!" she cooed over the white rook piece. In a comical fashion, put the piece on top of her head which, against all laws of physics, stuck without any adhesive.

"I'm queen of the castle! I'm queen of the castle!" she sang and danced.

"Nora!"

She giggled with embarrassment at her peers, whom she finally noticed. "Coming Ren!" she called back and ran over to him.

"What the fuck is happening?" asked Warden, trying futilely to make sense of what was going on.

"I-" Yang tried again, but more Grimm snarling interrupted the conversation.

Pyrrha ran into the clearing, the deathstalker still crashing in behind her, smashing down trees left and right as it snapped at her with its claws. She jumped at one moment and passed between a pair of pincers. "Jaune!" she yelled as she got sight of him.

"Pyrrha!" He called back as he struggled to get free.

"Whoa," breathed Ruby as she once again left him to his own devices.

She jumped down into the clearing, joining her sister and friends at the temple.

"Ruby?" Yang said with surprise as her sister landed next to them.

"Yang!" she answered.

"Nora!" screamed Nora as she popped up in between them.

"Did she just run all the way here with a deathstalker on her tail?" asked Blake.

"At this point, I've just given up," replied Warden as he shook his head and slammed his palm into his forehead. Ren stumbled over to join them.

Yang growled as red embers flared up around her. "Will everyone just CHILL OUT for like two seconds before something ELSE CRAZY HAPPENS?!"

They waited exactly two seconds while her fire died down. So when Ruby thought it was safe to approach her again, she tapped her on the shoulder.

"Uh, Yang?" She pointed up towards the Nevermore circling overhead. Clinging to one of its talons was Weiss.

"Why did you leave me?" she cried out terrified.

"I told you to jump!" Ruby yelled back.

"She's gonna fall," said Blake.

"She'll be fine," answered Ruby.

"She's falling," confirmed Ren.

"I got her," assured Warden as he took in a deep breath. Aura focused, he shot forward and jumped, snatching the falling Weiss out of the sky. She landed in his arms with surprise as he held her closely.

"Prepare for the ouch," cautioned Warden as he braced Weiss against him, not really caring about their close proximity as they fell back to Remnant. Nor did she as Weiss couldn't form any words, her arms wrapped reflexively around his neck as she buried her face into his chest. With a ground-shaking crash, Warden took the hit since he knew he wasn't even remotely skilled enough to leap from tree to tree.

"Well looks like the Ice Princess is capable of having some fun after all, who'd a thunk it?" he commented dryly as he continued to carry her back to the group, "I'd say your dropping in like this was just a way to impress me, that is if I didn't know any better." She continued to stare at him, not letting go even as he walked back to the group.

 _'He has nice eyes... even has a scar like I do,'_ her inner thoughts mumbled.

He began to feel self-conscious as she didn't respond to his comments. "While I'm flattered for the look, could you, uh... stop looking at me like that Princess? We kinda have an audience," Warden suggested as he turned his head away, face glowing red, the entire group's gaze fixed on them. Even Jaune and Pyrrha were finally able to join them, the latter of which able to give the deathstalker the slip for a few moments.

The world came back into focus as Weiss realized he was right, and what she was doing. Giving a nod, Warden set her down on her feet, allowing her to let go of his neck, but gently pushed herself out of his arms, denying herself to face him as her normally icy face had heated up. Warden, being a little more mature, shook his head as he snorted in amusement before rejoining the group along with Weiss. While Yang thought it was cute, Ruby was almost fuming.

"Well, looks like the party's all here," commented Warden as he ended the somewhat long silence.

"Yeah, now we can die together!" declared Yang.

As if on cue, the deathstalker came crashing out of the treeline again, screeching in rage as it lumbered towards them. Ruby smirked as she saw her chance.

"Stupid Weiss, I'll show her!"

"Not if I can help it," she boasted.

With a battle cry, she sped off against the Deathstalker, firing rounds behind her with Crescent Rose to amplify her speed.

"Ruby wait!" Yang cried after her.

Ruby lifted her scythe at the ready, and as she got close to her target, she cleaved downwards with all of her strength. This wasn't any young deathstalker though. The Grimm smacked her aside with its claws. She hit the ground with a grunt of pain and shakily got back on to her feet.

"D-don't worry! Totally fine!" she called back to the group.

No, she wasn't. The deathstalker reared forward, its stinger twitching in anticipation. With fear in her eyes, Ruby swung her scythe around and emptied her clip into the Grimm's face, but the bullets bounced harmlessly off its armor.

"Oh crap," she groaned and ran as fast as her legs could carry her.

"RUBY!" Yang yelled out as she took off in a sprint towards her sister.

Warden, his attention never leaving the massive Nevermore hovering above the group, watched as the Grimm reared its wings back and flapped them in a massive gust.

"Yang, move!"

A thick volley of spear sized feathers with razor-sharp points shot out from the Nevermore. They fell with whistling speed, nailing themselves into the ground and catching Ruby by her cloak. Yang slid to a stop, sliding across the ground as she barely avoided impalement.

"Ruby get out of there!" Yang cried out.

"I'm trying!" her sister called back, struggling to get her cloak free.

It was too late, the Deathstalker was upon mandibles clicked as it raised its tail for the killing blow. With no way out, Ruby squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for the hit.

"RUBY!" Yang yelled as a white blur sped past her.

The attack never came.

"No one's dying today," said a familiar voice.

The young reaper slowly opened her eyes to see who the voice belonged to. Her eyes widen as saucers at what was in front of her. Her savior was none other than Warden, using his gauntlets on his forearms to block the stinger. But despite his impressive strength, he was still tired from fighting a pack of Grimm earlier and taking that hit for Weiss.

Speaking of the Heiress, it seemed that she was going to return the favor as a white symbol appeared beneath the Grimm causing Warden to shove the stinger to the side. The scorpion's stinger and one of it claw were soon engulfed in ice a second later providing a chance to escape.

"You are so childish."

"Weiss...?"

"And dimwitted, and hyperactive, and don't even get me started on your fighting style." Weiss leaned down towards her, swiping with Myrtenaster as she cut Ruby free. "And I can be a bit... difficult, but if we're going to do this, we're going to have to do this together." She smiled slightly at Ruby. "So if you quit trying to show off, I'll be... nicer."

Ruby dusted herself off as she stood up. "I'm not trying to show off. I just want to show you I can do this."

"You're fine."

Ruby sighed in relief. "Normal knees..." she whispered to herself.

She gave a glance at the Deathstalker, growling as it tried to break free. She pulled her eyelid down and stuck out her tongue, giving it the stink eye stare and ran back to her group.

"Hey uh, guys? That thing is circling back," said a nervous Jaune. He pointed skyward as the Nevermore lazily glided around for another pass.

At the same time, the ice holding down the Deathstalker fractured and broke, the scorpion angrily shaking free.

"Uh, any ideas how to fight two giant Grimm?" asked Yang as she looked at her friends.

"We don't, not when our mission's nearly complete," informed Warden, drawing a confused look from everyone, except Ruby who picked up on what he was thinking.

"He's right! Our mission was only to find the relics, then make it back to the cliff. We don't have to fight any of these things," she declared happily, earning a smile from Weiss.

"So run and live," summarized Jaune, "I can get behind that."

"There's nine of us now, and only two of them. That sounds like really good odds to me, we got this!"

Ruby grabbed the other white knight piece and nodded to her friends, Jaune grabbing the other white rook. "Let's go and kick some butt!"

Yang didn't take off right away, instead smiling at her little sister as she and Warden were leading their team.

"What is it?" asked Blake.

The blonde smirked at her. "Nothing."

Nine companions bolted through the forest, throwing caution to the wind in favor of speed. It helped when aura could be used to boost someone's physical aspects. Even Jaune, whose aura was locked until Pyrrha released it for him earlier that day, was able to push himself to keep up with the other, more experienced fighters. Speaking of experience.

"Hey, Warden?" he asked as he caught up with their leader, "If and when we get there and we end up having to fight those things, how are we supposed to do it?"

"Deathstalkers are strong, but can't move around that well. Plus, there are breaks in their armor that occur naturally. Found mainly in the joints and the stinger is a vulnerable area: a giant bundle of nerves and a venom sac should you get unlucky enough to be stung," informed Warden, speaking loud enough so that everyone could hear, "As for the Nevermore, we need to get it out of the air, once we have it grounded, we can kill it. Cripple its wings or..."

"Or?" asked the Heiress.

"Freeze the bird to something," smirked Warden to Weiss, "force it to play by our rules, on our field. Once it is, it won't last long."

The trees started thinning out, they were approaching another cluster of ruins. The ground turned dusty as they sprinted between two, ancient suspended stone roadways. A footbridge about 500 yards in front of them crossed a misty gorge, leading to tall, ruined stone tower. Behind that was their finish line. Now if they could just get to...

The Nevermore landed atop the tower, letting loose an ear-splitting screech. The kids all dove into cover behind some debris as a volley of feathers filled the field.

"Perfect, just perfect," commented Yang.

A crashing from the treeline drew their attention; the deathstalker was still following them.

"When the going gets tough..." muttered Warden as he saw the giant scorpion.

"the tough better get going," finished Ren. He turned to Nora. "Nora, distract it!"

"You got it!"

She slung a grenade launcher she affectionately named Magnhild from her back and jumped for cover. Rolling into a kneeling position, she took aim and fired at the Nevermore, one of the rounds nailing it in the neck, explosions of pink dust and shrapnel forcing the Grimm back as her friends bolted for the bridge. She chuckled but jumped when the deathstalker came up from behind her, claws swinging wildly. It was pushed back by Ren and Blake, who each knocked a claw backward with swipes from their own weapons. Weiss appeared from behind her and wrapping an arm around her waist, launched them forward with a glyph.

Ruby, Warden, Pyrrha, Jaune, and Yang had now crossed the bridge, but the deathstalker was gaining on them. Shifting her spear into a long rifle, she took a knee and aimed at the scorpion.

"Go, go!" she yelled as she opened fire. Ren joined her, his twin machine pistols emptying their clips to give Blake some breathing room. Thankfully, it seemed that the scorpion wasn't fond of heights and didn't pursue them

They sprinted across the bridge, their goal of the tower within reach, but the Nevermore wasn't done. It flew low for another pass, talons spread.

"Jump now!" barked Warden as the Nevermore crashed into the bridge, taking the stone with it. It flew on without flinching, but the bridge was gone, separating the group in half. Blake, Pyrrha, and Ren were left to fight the deathstalker while Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Nora, and Jaune were thrown at the tower.

"Wait," asked Ruby as she looked around for one of their friends, "where's Warden?"

"How Ruby and Weiss pulled this off I'll never understand," groaned Warden as he gripped the feathers on the Nevermore's back, "oh, nice view."

Wind howled around him, unfortunately forcing him to squint his eyes as he surveyed the battle. Most of the bridge was gone but thankfully none of his friends were knocked off. Still, three of them were left fighting the deathstalker on their own, leaving the other five at the temple and unable to reach them. Until Nora turned her grenade launcher into a giant hammer and, after knocking Jaune backward from the edge, brought it down with all her strength, catapulting them to the other side.

Warden cocked his head to the right for a moment, shrugged, then turned his attention back to the giant bird he was riding. His left hand gripping the feathers, he pulled Fulmine from its sheath and, taking the weapon in a reverse grip, plunged it into the Nevermore's back. As a result, the Grimm shrieked in pain, flapping its wings wildly as it fought the pain.

"Just keel over and die you useless bird!" he growled, pulling out Ludex and began shooting its neck.

"Ahhh smash!" yelled Nora, swinging her hammer down on the deathstalker's head. It buckled under the impact but regained its footing and knocked her back with a claw. She collided with Blake, knocking the ninja off from the bridge.

Thinking quickly, she threw Gambol Shroud towards what remained of the bridge, the blade embedding itself into the ruined stone letting her swing to safety. That was when the Nevermore made another pass through the gorge. Squinting she made out the shape of Warden, firing round after round into its neck.

She angled her swing slightly, and with a yank of her wrist, pulled the blade free at the height of the swing. Blake flipped through the air, on an intercept course with the Nevermore. Using her semblance, she vaulted from a shadow copy of herself into the bird's face, swinging wildly with Gambol Shroud as the blades cut into their mark. She made another copy and appeared once more on its back, drawing a nod from Warden as she ran down to its tail, slashing as she went but the blades barely pierced its hide. She flipped to safety as it passed the tower.

"Warden's up there," she informed the other girls, "he's trying to bring it down, but it's a lot tougher than you'd think."

"Now I'm wondering who's worse, you or him," Weiss commented dryly to Ruby, much to the latter's indignation.

"We can sort out your little love triangle later after we kill this thing," said Yang as she reloaded Ember Celica, ignoring the cries of protest. "Let's hit it with everything we've got!"

The girls morphed their weapons into their ranged forms and as one, sent an eruption of gun fire and dust blasts at the Nevermore.

"Watch it!" shouted Warden as a stray shot nearly hit him in the head. But he quickly forgot his annoyance as he saw that the Nevermore was heading right for the tower, intending to ram it, "Oh for fuck sake!"

Ripping Fulmine from the hide of the Nevermore, Warden was just able to ditch the bird before it collided with the tower, smashing through it. Preparing for the impact, he came back down the Remnant in a resounding crack of stone of the ruined base.

The girls vaulted through the collapsing rubble, blasting, swinging and glyph skating their way up to join him

"None of this is working," complained Weiss.

"We need to pin it down," he announced as he shifted his sword into its rifle form, "Weiss, have your Ice Dust ready, Yang and I are going to try and shoot it out of the air. As soon as it hits the ground, you need to act fast and freeze," The two nodded as Warden turned to Blake and Ruby, "Blake Ruby, once its down, it'll be up to you to finish it off. We can't let it get airborne.

"I got an idea to do exactly that," said Ruby. "Blake, I need your ribbons."

"Got it," she answered.

Warden charged forward, inserting a clip of explosive rounds into the handle of Fulmine as he formed up with Yang. Side by side, they fired upon the Nevermore, fire erupting around the bird as they peppered it with shrapnel. Unable to get close through their shots, it circled and waited, screeching at them in anger.

Back at the bridge, the deathstalker stabbed forward with its tail, sending its enemies stumbling as the stone continued to break apart.

"We need to get closer! Pyrrha, with me!" said Jaune as they rushed forward.

Pyrrha arrived first, ducking under a claw swipe and repelling it with her shield. She in turn stabbed forward with her spear at its face, Jaune joining her to block the other claw as it swung in to hit her. Switching it back to sword form, Pyrrha vaulted over him and with a spin, sent a slash through the scorpions many eyes. Ren ran forward next, firing a few rounds and stepping to the side as the tail crashed next to him. With honed reflexes, he grabbed onto the stinger before it could retract, emptying the clip into the weak spot Warden mentioned earlier. Nora covered them with several more shots from her grenade launcher. Hearing the shots, the Grimm swung both claws forward, knocking Pyrrha and Jaune back as it protected its face from the explosive rounds. Pyrrha was waiting though, and as it swung its claws back open to clear the smoke, threw her spear with expert aim into its large, right eye. The Grimm flailed in pain, swinging Ren loose and into a pillar, knocking him out.

"Ren!" Nora cried in concern.

Jaune groaned as he cleared his vision, then noticed the stinger was barely hanging on by a tendon, poison and black blood dripping freely from the wound.

"Pyrrha, the stinger!"

"Done!" she answered, throwing her shield like a disc and severing the barb completely. It embedded itself into the creature's mask.

"Nora, nail it!" commanded Jaune.

She nodded; weapon back in hammer form and turned to Pyrrha. "Heads up!"

Pyrrha got the message as Nora jumped, landing on her shield like a platform. A pull of the trigger from Magnhild sent her flying into the air, Pyrrha jumping with the shot to give her extra force. Nora rode her hammer like a flying broom, giggling and giving a mock salute. She fired another round, sending her spinning back to earth with twice the force she'd normally have, burying the stinger as deep as possible into the deathstalker's head. The force sent them flying over the corpse and onto the safety of solid ground. The monster gave a death rattle as it fell into the gorge with what was left of the bridge. Ren stumbled over to them, holding his side from a cracked rib and promptly collapsed. Finally able to rest, the group looked towards the tower as their friends continued battling the Nevermore.

A lull in the gunfire prompted the bird to go back on the attack. Warden was nearly out of shots. Deciding to change things up, he sheathed Fulmine and brought out Ludex and Iudices. Getting ready, he crouched down as the Nevermore flew overhead, then with a mighty leap, he jumped up and grabbed the feathers of the underbelly of the bird. Holding on with all his strength, Warden fired into the stomach while Yang jumped as it charged her, planting itself into its beak.

"I. HOPE. YOU'RE. HUNGRY!" she yelled in between shots into its open maw.

Taking a pair of heavy injuries, being numerous shots to the stomach from a magnum and its throat on fire, the bird had a lapse in wing control and tumbled towards the cliff face. Yang jumped free and joined Ruby who filled her in on the plan. Warden fell with it, taking advantage of their flying wrestling to angle the Nevermore into a way that it would crash land onto its wings.

Bracing himself for the incoming impact, Warden leaped from the bird as soon as the impact came, quickly holstering Ludex and Iudices and whipping out Fulmine he vaulted from the bird. Skidding to a stop on his feet as the bird tumbled across the ground. Pressing a button, the Longsword split in two, the crystal shining brightly as Aura was focused into it.

"Peri!" shouted Warden at his enemy, the blade aimed right at its chest. Thrusting forward, a gold beam erupted from the gap between the blades. The attack sped right towards the Nevermore, smashing into the beast, causing it to shriek in agony as a huge burn was left on its shoulder.

"Weiss, now!" he commanded as he landed with the rest of his team.

The Schnee Heiress skated forward, Myrtenaster poised and glowing with ice energy. The nevermore flailed in pain, struggling to get airborne again. But as its wings flapped heavily, Weiss stabbed forward into its tail, pinning it with a sudden growth of ice. Knowing what was coming next, she quickly retreated to prepare for the final blow.

Blake and Yang acted quickly on Ruby's plan, the former nailing Gambol Shroud into one pillar while the latter grabbed the ribbon and pinned it to another. The idea? A giant slingshot, with Ruby as the ammo. Ruby vaulted backwards with a sniper round, Crescent Rose sitting upon and pulling the ribbon back like a nocked arrow. Weiss, now back with the group, formed a gravity glyph and pulled her teammate back, the tension audible as it was stretched to its limit.

"Of course you'd come up with a plan like this," Weiss scoffed.

"Think you can make the shot?" asked Ruby.

Weiss snorted. "Can I?"

There was a pause between the two. "Can-"

"Of course I can!"

Ruby smiled and looked to Warden for the go-ahead. He smirked and gave her a thumbs up before he gripped his sword and made his move with her. In sync with Weiss who released the glyph, Ruby fired a round to give her extra speed while Warden sprinted as fast as he could. She shot forward at the Nevermore, scythe poised for the neck. She crashed into the bird with enough force to rip its tail in two, planting her feet into the cliff face. Warden landed beside her and Weiss wasted no time. With a flick of her sword, a line of white glyphs appeared in front of Ruby and Warden, and with a roar, she activated her semblance, rushing forward up the wall in a flurry of rose petals with ever gaining speed, Warden trailing behind.

Her friends watched in awe as she dragged a bird easily 200 times her size up a sheer cliff wall, emptying her clip behind her using the recoil to do the lifting. The bird struggled in vain as they reached the top. Gripping the shaft of Crescent Rose, Ruby let out one last yell and swung, the bird was launched into the air, Warden following closely behind.

Then with a battle cry fit for a hardened warrior, he brought Fulmine to bear against the neck of the Nevermore, taking the head clean off its shoulders. She and Warden landed with winded breath, turning to see what was left of the birds tumble down the side of the cliff. The cloud of rose petals surrounding her scattered with the wind while a small mist flowed around Warden.

"Wow..." breathed Jaune. His friends all had the same thought as they watched the Nevermore's body tumbled into the mist of the gorge.

Blake and Yang stood in the middle of the destroyed tower, both staring up at Ruby and Warden who had his sword in hand and slung over his shoulder in their moment of triumph.

"Well, that was a thing," said Yang to break the silence.

Everyone stared at her, then a small chuckle came from one of them. Soon, each of them joined in the laughter, taking in the feeling of their first ever completed and successful mission. As Warden and Ruby looked down at them from their stand, Warden couldn't help but chuckle.

Today was a good day.

For Ruby, she suddenly came to an important realization: maybe having real friends wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

"Russel Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark. The four of you retrieved the Black Bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRDL (Cardinal) lead by... Cardin Winchester," Headmaster Ozpin announced at the induction ceremony, their faces and team name displayed on the holoscreens above their heads.

Team CRDL bowed in respect and left the stage.

"Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie, and Lie Ren." The four in question stepped forward. "The four of you retrieved the White Rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team JNPR (Juniper) lead by... Jaune Arc."

Jaune flinched when he heard his name. "L-lead by?" he said under his breath.

"Congratulations young man," said Ozpin.

Pyrrha smiled and lightly punched him in the arm, knocking him over much to the amusement of the audience. Team JNPR took their leave.

"And finally, Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Warden Allister, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long. The five of you retrieved the White Knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWWBY (Ruby) lead by... Ruby Rose."

Both Ruby and Weiss jumped in alarm. Even Blake lifted an eyebrow. They all expected Warden to be made the leader, but even so, it steadily came to Ruby what had just happened; a proud and excited smile crept across her face.

"Ruby, I'm so proud!" Yang squealed as she brought her sister into a big hug.

Ruby glanced over Yang's shoulder and looked at Warden as if to ask if it was ok. He gave her a reassuring smile as he joined the audience in applauding while also giving her a nod, so she let herself be happy.

Ozpin allowed a small smile to show. "Yes, this is looking to be an... interesting year."

 _ **To Be Continued...**_


	4. Chapter 4 Follow the Leader

_**Okay, chapter 4, hope you're enjoying the fixed version**_

 _ **A little Ruby and Warden Fluff and some Weiss and Warden Fluff as well.**_

 _ **Not gonna lie, I'm at a crossroad with a one request in the comments in some others from Private messages. Some regarding who Warden should be paired with. While the original version of Honor and Roses had our Knight paired with Ruby, I've been thinking on how his character would work with her. So, while I'm not nearly as familiar with RWBY and the universe or characters and their personalities, I am however aware that some readers might known who he should be paired with. So I'll be putting up a poll shortly after the chapter is posted. You people might know RWBY better than me and can make a guess on who Warden should be paired with. I will not do a multiple pairing with Team RWBY paired with him. Just one, okay? The options will be in the poll.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own For Honor or RWBY, For Honor is owned by Ubisoft and RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth.**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 4: Follow the leader  
**_

Warden saw the next morning rising up from the comfortable darkness of his team's room. Gentle light from the shattered moon glowed into their room. Thanks to their team's large size, RWWBY was given a larger room so that it could handle five people. Beds were spread out nicely, the fifth centered under the window on the far wall and to the side was a private bathroom.

RWWBY wasn't the first team with five people, in reality, there had been a few cases with as many as six or seen during times when Grimm activity was at an all-time high and required more students. Their dorm was located at the far end of a hallway within the student dorms area, nicely placed next to JNPR

Letting out a long, and slightly tired yawn, the Knight removed his bed covers and swung his legs out. The team was still asleep and probably would be for a while. It was going to be... eventful sharing a room with, and he will admit, four rather attractive girls. Back in Shade, dozens of his old friends would die to have an opportunity like he did.

He shook his head of dirty thoughts, it wasn't something the team needed to deal with. Scratching his scalp with one hand, he grabbed his hygiene kit with the other and went into the bathroom to start his morning routine, stepping around luggage bags as he went. Being the only one who had bothered to unpack, having completed that after the Initiation test, well, except for his trunk as that was there for a different reason.

Xanther, his godfather, had often referred to morning routines as, and I quote: 'get up, wash up, be up, keep up,' his reason was that when you woke up, it didn't need to be extravagant, just look presentable.

Of course, now he had all the time in the world, at least till the girls started waking up. Old habits died hard he supposed. Warden scratched his chin as he stood in front of the mirror, feeling the forming stubble. While he didn't mind facial hair, he honestly preferred the clean shaven look, looks more professional. All in all, the whole process took him little more than 10 minutes, resulting in a fresh, clean Warden.

Slipping out of the bathroom as quietly as he could, he stowed away his things and pulled on some light workout clothes; a simple black t-shirt with two gold slashes cutting diagonally across his chest and back, a pair of gold sweatpants with a silver stripe going down the legs, and a pair of black and white track shoes. The last time he'd been training just for the heck of it was back before he left Shade nearly two months ago. During that time, he spent it mostly trying to survive in the wilderness. He relished the chance. Eager to get started, he eased out of the door, not noticing a certain rose petal stirring in her sleep.

So getting into his usual routine, the Knight made his way to his destination: the Auditorium. At this time, many students would be still asleep, but he was looking to get some training in. It came in the form of a small request to Professor Ozpin. Warden asked if it was at all allowed that if he could use the training room to spar and practice some martial arts his good father told him. It was an unusual request for someone so young, but Ozpin knew of his reason why and he understood.

So it was here, in the auditorium did Warden begin his early morning, and rather brutal, sparring session with several training drones. Wearing only a simple t-shirt, sweatpants, and some sneakers, the session began. 15 combat drones against a first-year student with a mysterious history. Too bad for the drones.

 **"Android's Combat Level 10: Initiated,"** announced a robotic voice.

The robots came online and raise their fists while Warden took his fighting stance. One robot ran towards the student to deliver a series of quick jabs to his face, but he dodges each one until he caught the last one punch. He then twisted the robot's arm around to force it to bow allowing him to knee it in the face. The impact caused it to shut down and the others to attack. Spinning around, Warden blocked and dodge each of their blows for a bit before going on the offensive. Warden leaped over one of them, then performed a roundhouse kick to the head. Two droids attempted to sucker punch him, but Warden caught their punches and slam them together. Not a second later, he punched another one in the face that was trying to attack him from behind.

Warden continued to block attacks, redirecting punches so that they would strike other drones. Even as he fought, the Knight's mind actually was thinking about a few things.

Mental training was slightly different for Warden, some warriors would imagine their fights with Grimm, watching as hordes of monsters came converging at him or her. And the person would use their body to respond properly. Outside, it would look like a person was dodging training drones, but on the inside, they were maneuvering through the attacking animals.

The Grimm; the very thought of those beasts brought a sneer of disgust to his face. Never had he heard of or encountered any other creatures in this world that could rival their wanton lust for despair and destruction. He skids to a stop, after jumping over a drone. A frown marred his features. Why had they been created in the first place? If the ruins across the countryside were any indication, Mankind had once risen up before, in what could have been even greater heights than what they achieved today. Were they some sort of divine punishment? Had his species violated some universal law, a law of such importance and magnitude the gods sought to punish them eternally? The thought left a sour taste in his mouth, but he swallowed it down. He was a warrior first, philosopher second.

Warden figured he had done this for a good time, and he just finished off the last robot. So he needed to find something else to do; study. Making his way outside the sun was beginning its slow ascent into the sky. He checked his watch; 07:00 it told him, still giving him two hours till the first class. He let his breathing level out and sat down on a bench, opening a small bundle he carried with him, he took out an old textbook on some fighting styles used by famous warriors that were similar to his.

Warden read the book carefully, taking in all the knowledge, but while he tried to read and calm himself, his mind was still in disarray. Whenever he got a chance like this he would take and learn everything he could. But now, he couldn't find himself calm enough to read. So, he shut his eyes and just let the peace of the world surround him.

Slow, evenly paced breaths circulated through his lungs, each exhale carrying with it his aura. The energy radiated from him calmly like a tamed fire, its heat creating light currents of wind in the plaza. The troubles of the world disappeared, replaced only by the natural phenomena that was life; rustling leaves, chirping of birds, the warmth of the sun, kiss of the breeze, such a still perfection at risk of being shattered in an instant.

"Mr. Allister," said an aged, familiar, and curious voice. Warden opened his eyes, turning around to see Professor Ozpin staring down at him, coffee cup in his left hand, his cane in his right, and his spectacles glinting in the morning sun, "You're up fairly early and I see you just came from the auditorium if the defeated drones are any hint," the man commented, taking a sip from his morning brew.

"Something I've always done back home," explained to the Knight as he stood up from the bench, "begin training with a morning spar, reflex test, and study when I can." Ozpin gave Warden a curious look; he studied this much in Shade? "Yeah, I've always had a habit of reading whatever I can get; if you have a chance to add a tool to the toolbox, you take it."

"It is good to see one so young take an interest in such discipline. Most of your peers are likely just beginning to get out of bed," Ozpin smiled slightly, "How are you enjoying the school so far? Is it what you've been expecting?"

"Lives completely up to its reputation, and even surpasses it," shrugged Warden before his gaze went to the school, "A 'beacon' of hope in the hardest of times for the Kingdom of Vale. Sounds like a story of old, huh?"

Ozpin chuckled. "I had similar thoughts when I was your age. I remember sitting here in this very spot. But even fairy tales have an inkling of truth to them."

"Like the color of my eyes?" suggested Warden, turning back to the Headmaster.

Ozpin paused for a moment. "I suppose there is some merit to that train of thought, yes."

"The night before, the first thing you said to me and Ruby at the police station was that we have silver eyes," Warden recalled, "What did you mean by that?"

"I see that Xanther has made it a priority to give your education an extensive buff before sending you on your journey," complimented Ozpin, but Warden made no comment, despite the fact that he had made no mention or indication about his late godfather.

"Let's try this, how about you tell me what you know already and I'll help you fill in the blanks?"

"Well, to be honest, that's very little. I only know that those with silver eyes were always destined to be great warriors, that the strongest of them were capable of slaying Grimm with a single look."

"And what do you make of that?"

"Considering there are still plenty of Grimm around, either the power wasn't strong enough to eradicate them completely or the warriors were beaten and left forgotten to history."

Ozpin pondered those words for a moment. "It is true, those born with silver eyes had profoundly greater prowess on the battlefield, but they indeed were not all invincible like the legends made them out to be. In many cases, most were just like any of the citizens we protect; normal people without any special traits beyond an unusual pigment of the irises. But the few who chose to stand, to break the mold, became capable of great and sometimes terrible things."

"Terrible?"

"Oh yes, its roots taking place in the very existence of the Grimm. Tell me, Warden, what do you believe is humanity's greatest flaw?"

"A bit of a nebulous question, professor," commented Warden, pausing for a moment as he didn't expect a question such as that, "but we're a young race and have plenty of flaws and mistakes, and that's perfectly okay. But the biggest flaw? Well, I'd say it would be...pride."

"Your insight serves you well," Ozpin told him with a nod of approval.

"Humans are...complicated," elaborated Warden, "standing together we can make amazing accomplishments, like the Four Kingdoms for example, but we are almost always wanting, needing, something more. Many civilizations and cultures have risen and fallen in our statistically short existence, and all that came before us had fallen into ruin, like the Knights."

"True, very true," agreed Ozpin before picking up himself, "We are but Remnants of stories long gone. It is because of our pride; it drove us to become envious, loathsome, destructive, but worst of all, unrepentant. The Silver Eyed Warriors were no exception to this fatal flaw and thus perished among the many wars that ravaged this world. It is why the Grimm exist as they do, they are physical manifestations of Humanity's collective inner demons, personified by the largely misunderstood wilds that lie beyond our borders. This misunderstanding spreads to the Faunus, a species even younger than we are yet more in-tuned with the natural world we readily destroy."

Ozpin adjusted his spectacles. "Whether or not you believe in legends or fairy tales, just know that despite all of our flaws as we struggle in darkness, there is always the potential for even the smallest of lights to become great beacons to lead us when we need them most."

The headmaster straightened and made to leave. "I believe your peers will be looking for you soon, and breakfast has already started. Do try the omelets, they are quite exquisite at the start of term."

"Thank you for speaking with me, Headmaster."

"Always a pleasure to impart some wisdom."

* * *

 _-going back to RWWBY's Dorm Room-_

Warden brought his pace down, approaching his dorm room. He was about to enter when he heard...construction noise?

"What the hell?" he asked himself, hesitantly gripping the doorknob and twisted it to open a rather odd sight.

"What the-What are you guys doing?"

The girls all jumped at the voice and turned, all of them dressed in their school uniforms; a red plaid skirt, and a brown jacket with a tan vest and white shirt with a red ribbon tied at the collar. The only difference between them was Ruby, who kept her signature hooded cape.

"Warden, there you are!" greeted Ruby as she scratched her head, "Well, we got to unpacking when we finished we kinda...ran out of room."

"So we made some awesome bunk beds! Pretty cool huh?" added Yang.

"I see that," said Warden as he took a look at their 'renovations.' In one corner, two beds were haphazardly balanced on top of each other, each post supported by a stack of Blake's, at least he assumed to be Blake's, many books. Opposite of that, another bed was hung from the ceiling with rope, with a pink sheet drawn like a curtain to create a canopy. More ropes tied the posts to those of the bed below it to keep it from swinging too much. Thankfully, his own was left untouched in the corner towards his left, opposite of the bathroom. Their reasoning with bunk beds became apparent with just how much stuff they had brought.

Yang and Weiss had notoriously large wardrobes, the latter even having brought suitcases designed to be entire pieces of snow white furniture for storage, among them being a vanity, chest of drawers and even an armoire. Blake had brought along what was essentially a miniature library, entire bookshelves filled with various works of literature. And Ruby, true to her enthusiasm for weaponry, had commandeered the coffee table and turned it into a makeshift workbench strewn with spare parts for her scythe.

Warden sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "Thank you, for at least saving me a space for my trunk and a chest of drawers. What time is it, actually?"

"It is precisely 8 in the morning, we still have an hour before classes," answered Weiss.

"Where were you this morning anyway?" asked Blake.

"Went to study a little and train in the Auditorium," he answered nonchalantly as he grabbed his uniform and hygiene bag and disappeared into the bathroom.

As the door shut, a smirk grew on Yang's face as she noticed their fearless leader coloring up as she stared at the steam drifting from underneath the door.

"You're not much for subtlety are you sis?" the blonde asked, earning an 'eep' from Ruby.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" she denied.

"Of course you don't," snipped Weiss, "Try to keep your hormones in check? We don't need you fraternizing with our sole male teammate. You're the team leader now," she ground that last part out through clenched teeth.

"Weiss!"

"Leave her alone Weiss, she's not used to this kind of living," Blake stepped in, "And Warden doesn't seem like the kind of person to take advantage. He's too disciplined and honorable for that."

"I'll say," Yang chimed back in, "But that doesn't mean he can't have fun. On the first night, I thought for sure he might go for me, but he didn't. Not that I intended to go that far, just push a few buttons. And he pushed a few back."

"That looked a lot more than just 'a few buttons'," Ruby retorted.

"Out of sight does not mean out of earshot!" barked Warden from the bathroom.

* * *

 _-Professor Port's Classroom-_

Warden liked to learn, don't get him wrong, but if he could use a single word or phrase to describe the classroom environment of Professor Port, it would be as follow; Boring. As. Hell.

There was really only so much one could cover about Grimm and their different forms, save for the various weaknesses each one was supposedly subject to, except that's exactly what Port wasn't doing. The man had an ego about him, and rather than teach like he was meant to, he instead regaled them of past battles in his youth. The swordsman let out a sigh as he struggled to keep his eyes open.

 _'God, if you're there, please strike me down so I don't have to endure another class such as this,'_ he thought while fighting to stay awake.

Ruby was far from subtle about her own wandering attention span. She scribbled out a comical doodle of the Professor, giggling and carelessly showing off to Weiss that constantly grated on the Heiress' nerves.

 _'I can't believe that dunce! THIS is our team leader?!'_ Weiss thought angrily.

It was insane, unfair, and downright insulting that she was under the command of an utter imbecile. What the hell was Ozpin thinking? At least she would have understood if Warden was chosen. He had taken command of most of the fight in the initiation and proved he could hold his own.

 _'No, play it cool Weiss, you're in better control than this. Deep breath... relax your body... clear your- IS SHE PICKING HER NOSE?!'_

"Now, who here believes they embody these qualities?" Professor Port asked his students.

She immediately raised her hand. "I do!"

"Ms. Schnee! Excellent excellent, please do step down here to the floor, and bring your weapon with you."

Weiss stood stoically, pushing past Ruby with a bit more aggression than she probably intended to show. Dainty heels clicked their way down the stairs as she took her position opposite of a wrought-iron box with various breathing holes, per Port's instructions.

"As Huntsmen and Huntresses of Vale, it will be your sworn duty to uphold justice and protect the innocent. As such, you must show unwavering resolve and ferocity each and every time you step forth on the battlefield. Let us see if Ms. Schnee can do so!"

As he finished his sentence, Port pulled a lever on the side of the box, its front face falling forward with a crash. Snarling and growling could be heard from within, prompting Weiss to take her family's battle stance; sword hand forward and angled 45 degrees at the elbow, free hand at the small of her back, lead foot forward shoulder length. Launching out of the crate came a small but equally menacing pig-Grimm; a Boarbatusk.

It looked every bit the part of an untainted wild boar, save for the usual bone protrusions and mask shared by all Grimm and the larger than normal tusks that jutted from its jaws. With an angry squeal, the boar charged Weiss, intent on gutting her. She rolled to the left, letting Myrtenaster dig into its hide. She stood and turned with confidence, only to find her weapon barely scratched it.

"Go Weiss!" cheered Yang.

"Represent Team RWWBY!" added Ruby.

 _'Just ignore them, Weiss.'_

Warden and Blake just leaned slightly forward and remained silent.

"Oh ho!" Port bellowed jovially. "Do not be fooled by the look of a Boarbatusk. They are tougher than they initially seem. What now shall you do?"

Weiss grit her teeth. ' _Just watch.'_

The Grimm jumped and flipped forward, landing in an unusual rolling motion. Weiss' eyes widened as it shot forward with incredible speed, its bone growths giving it traction on an otherwise smooth granite floor. She didn't have time to react and took the blow head on, knocking her backward several meters. A gasp of air forced its way from her lungs, as well as a tiny bit of blood.

"Weiss be careful!" cried Ruby.

"Ruby, stop distracting me!" she spat back, making her team leader deflate.

 _"Think, you've studied these things before back home. Winter made sure you researched them all extensively."_

"Underbelly, go for the underbelly," Warden spoke out calmly.

Of course! How could she forget that detail? She made a flick with her rapier and a gravity glyph formed beneath the Boarbatusk's hooves, holding it in place. It looked down in confusion. With an upward motion from Weiss' hand, the glyph reversed its force and shot the Grimm up into the air, tumbling head over heels by the blast. Myrtenaster poised, she skated forward for the killing blow, burying her blade into the beast's belly. She made sure she planted the Grimm into the floor as they landed. It struggled a few seconds and then, letting out a death rattle, laid still, its body naturally breaking away into black ash.

"Bravo Ms. Schnee! Excellent action on your part. She does indeed have the makings of a successful huntress!" Port applauded.

She wasn't listening. Outwardly she remained her usual cold self, but inside she was seething. She barely noticed Port announcing that class was over and reminding them of their homework due in three days on Beowolves. Without sparing even a minute, she grabbed her bags and left, leaving her confused teammates behind. Weiss needed time alone, time to think and mull over how her life was going. She didn't expect Ruby to come running after her.

"Weiss!" Ruby called out to her.

"What?!"

"What's gotten into you? All day you've been-"

"What's gotten into me? What's wrong with you? You're supposed to be a leader, yet all you've been so far is a nuisance!"

Ruby scoffed. "What did I do?"

"That's just it! You've done nothing to earn your position. Back in the forest you did nothing but act like a child, and you still continue to do so!"

Ruby was trembling as her teammate's words set in. "Weiss, where is all this coming from? What about all that talk about working together and being a team?"

"Not a team led by you."

Those words stung.

"I have studied, and trained, and quite frankly deserve better. Ozpin made a mistake."

The Heiress was done. Arms crossed, she turned on her heel and left, leaving Ruby on the verge of tears. The young girl curled in on herself, turning to run only to bump into Warden

"Hey, Ruby? You alright?" he asked.

"Warden...Is she right though?" asked Ruby suddenly, looking up at the Knight with a somewhat pleading look, "Did Ozpin make a mistake?"

He gave her a reassuring smile, "Not if you don't believe in yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"Ruby this is only the first day. I have made a few mistakes myself, some of which I can never fully forgive myself for," Ruby gave him a confused look; what did he mean by that? But before should ask Warden, picked up where he left off, "But you can't let one bad argument get you down. Do you think Ozpin made a mistake?"

"Well, yeah; You were in charge of all of us, and you didn't lose your cool once," explained Ruby.

"Well yeah, I was able to think tactically and relay orders in the heat of battle efficiently, but there's one thing you did that I didn't. You know what that is?"

She shook her head no.

"You inspired. Not just our group but Team JNPR as well. It was your words at the temple that brought everyone together as a cohesive unit. Even though the two of us were in the lead, it was you they were following, not me."

He patted her on the shoulder as Ruby started to feel better.

"That being said, it is important for you to know that being a leader isn't just a badge that you carry with you into battle. It's a way of life, a higher standard you must pledge yourself to. How can you expect others to follow and respect you if you're not at your very best every day?"

Ruby was completely speechless. She couldn't find the words to express her shock. She thought Ozpin only selected her by random for being the leader. A part of her was happy that both Warden and Ozpin believe in her dream of becoming a Huntress, yet another part of her was still filled with doubts.

"You've been given a huge responsibility, Ruby. If I were you, I would take some time and decide how you plan to uphold it. But in the meantime, I think I'll go talk to Weiss and see why she's been this way," making sure that she understood what he was telling her, Warden held both her shoulders and had her look at him, "Don't worry Ruby. You have great potential of becoming a leader. You know that you can be childish and understand that you have to work on it. Train yourself to become the leader you want to be for your team, overcome the flaws you have, and never lose hope. Also, remain true to yourself. Don't try to become someone you are not, just be yourself, as corny as that sounds."

A smile formed on her face before she gave Warden a sudden hug. She felt much better with his talk, telling her that she had what it takes to be a huntress.

"Thanks, Warden," said the young reaper as she felt him return the hug.

"Anytime," with that, the two let go, "right now, I've got an Ice Princess to talk to."

She giggled at his nickname for Weiss, and she would agree, it suited her. Warden gave one more smile before he turned and began to walk down the hall in pursuit of Weiss. Once he was gone, her cheeks turned slightly pink as she smiled warmly. Warden was the kindest person she ever met. He is always optimistic, humble, genuine, and always ready to help people. He had this reassuring presence about that melts away all negative emotions and replaced them with hope. Despite knowing him for a couple days, she felt she could fully trust him.

"Warden... Thank you" she muttered quietly to herself before heading back to Blake and Yang.

* * *

 _-Observation Balcony-_

"Weiss," said Warden as he found his teammate oo an observation balcony. The Knight searched for the Heiress throughout the day, checking every possible location that she could wind up at except for one, a balcony overlooking the school. As luck would have it there she was, staring into the distance with the sun setting over the horizon filling the sky with orangey color. He knew she heard but and choose to ignore him, so decided to speak again, "is something wrong? You seemed a little more agitated than usual in class today."

"Go away Warden," replied Weiss coldly, not even turning around to face him.

Warden, on the other hand, ignored the request and joined the heiress by the railing, placing a hand on her arm. She violently pulled it away.

"Weiss, when my team's well being is at stake, I won't just do nothing," stated the Knight as he remained by Weiss' side, "so like it or not, you're stuck with me princess until you tell me what's wrong."

"Will you stop referring to me like that?" she snapped back

"Alright Weiss," he replied, "now, tell me what's wrong."

A silence fell over them, Warden waited patiently as he let her work through her thoughts at her own pace. When she realized he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, she took a deep breath.

"One of us should have been the leader of Team RWBY."

"How exactly?" asked Warden, tilting his head in confusion.

"Don't play dumb. We both know we're the most qualified for the job. You've fought Grimm plenty of times before, I could tell by the way you carried yourself out there. And I've had the best teachers Atlas has to offer over my entire life. We both deserve better."

"I disagree. On both counts."

"Excuse me?"

"Let me explain. Being a leader isn't just about books and battle prowess. It's about character and attitude. When the teachers look at you, they see a girl who has had everything she's ever wanted her entire life. That type of upbringing tends to lead to a bad attitude."

"How dare you! That's not even remotely true!" she retorted before catching herself. "Well... it's not mostly true."

"As for me, well my record is all the proof needed to know that I shouldn't lead," lamented Warden, his voice suddenly going somber.

It was Weiss' turn to be surprised.

"I came here from Vacuo, made the trip by myself on foot in fact. I told Ozpin as much the day he invited Ruby and me to Beacon. When he asked why I said it was training. That wasn't entirely a lie," he began, recalling everything he could. Taking a long breath before he continued, "I used to be a student at Shade, in a similar position as Ruby I might add, only a year older than her, actually. I was hailed by both other students and teachers as a prodigy, soaking up all the material like a sponge and soaring past all of my peers with incredible skill. They didn't hesitate to put me in command of a team of my own."

Weiss was hanging onto his words. She didn't expect to feel any kinship with the wayward swordsman.

"Similar to Beacon, Shade ran four-man teams for its top students. I still remember their names; Irene, Roland, and Niles. Team IRWN (Iron)," Warden snorted in amusement, "kinda ironic with the Warden's and such."

Weiss allowed a smile of her own.

"It went well for a time, we were unbeatable and on the fast track to graduating top of our class. I loved every minute of it."

"What happened?"

His face grew dark. "A difference between the two academies; Shade preferred field missions over classroom lectures. We were sent north up the coast to gather a certain type of herb used to combat poisons, and that's when _she_ came."

"Who?" asked Weiss, slightly afraid of finding out what Warden was going to tell her.

"A Knight, not like the ones found in old stories or from the Iron Legion, this one wore all black armor. A mask that would make a Grimm unnerved, with eye sockets that had small holes made to cover the eyes. That's when the Knight attacked us, it was like he or she was everywhere. For all that armor, it did nothing to slow that person down," he continued, taking a moment to steal his emotions, "Any good leader at the time would have realized that we couldn't win and called for a retreat or contact a teacher; I didn't. My ego got the better of me and I thought we could handle one person."

He gripped the railing with force, knuckles turning white and lightly bending it from his aura-enhanced strength.

"Then it went from bad to worse. I was going in for a strike when that Knight hit me with something. I don't know what it was at the time, but I know what it did," Warden swallowed, tears burning behind his closed eyes as he continued, "My body began moving against my will and I began to attack my team. Somehow, in some way, that Knight made me attack my team, my family."

Weiss gasped, the feeling of dread welling in her stomach, "I could see everything I was doing. Roland was hit pretty bad losing his arm, Irene was impaled through the chest by my own sword, and Niles was slashed across his throat."

The tears that burned behind his eyes began to spill, rolling down his cheeks. Brushing them away, he turned to face Weiss, "I was the instrument of that Knight and I nearly killed my team."

"Warden, I..." Weiss tried to console him.

He shook his head, "What's done is done; you can't turn back the clock. They claimed they did not blame for what happened, but I didn't think so. They tried to convince me it wasn't my fault, that I didn't know what would have happened, but I didn't agree. I blamed myself for everything that happened. I withdrew from Shade shortly after."

"Despite my knowledge and skill, I still failed," finalized Warden, snorting to himself, "and that failure nearly cost me the lives of three of my closest friends."

"I'm not trying to spill my life story out to you. What I'm trying to say is that Ruby has a characteristic that neither of us has; it's innocence. She's an endearing person, it was that pure and honest spirit that rallied us at the temple, not my tactical know-how or your training. That's why Ozpin picked her."

Weiss bit her lip. She wanted to challenge that but couldn't find the heart nor words.

"Sure she can be immature, but she's still 15 and despite the giant sniper rifle/scythe, she's still a fairly normal girl. I don't want to see her fail like I did, and despite the differences between you two, I doubt you'd want to either. She's your partner Weiss. It's your approval she wants the most."

He pushed himself from the railing and was about to turn and leave, "I should be going," Before he could make it very far, he was found in a tight embrace from Weiss, something that he wasn't at all expecting. But he returned the hug just the same. After a few moments, Weiss let go, a little pink dusting her cheeks.

"We should probably get back and turn in," suggested Warden, "We have Goodwitch first thing tomorrow with combat training, and I hear she's a slave driver."

Weiss nodded but stayed where she was. "Thanks but I think I want to stay here for a bit longer."

"Take all the time you need, Weiss," he replied before giving her a wave and leaving.

* * *

 _-RWWBY's Dormroom-_

It was late in the evening when Weiss returned to her dorm. Warden, Blake, and Yang were all fast asleep, and it seemed Ruby was too, covers thrown completely over her head. Weiss would have been convinced if the lamp wasn't left on. She walked over and gently pulled the covers back. Her mouth fell open to see numerous books strew about haphazardly all on topics they had gone over today. Ruby had ended up passing out on her notes. With a sad smile and remembering Warden's words, she gently shook her awake.

Ruby snorted as she was jostled awake. "Gah, Weiss! I-I was studying and then I fell asleep, I'm sorry!"

Weiss quickly clamped a hand over her mouth, shushing her as she motioned to their sleeping team.

"How do you take your coffee?"

"Uh I- I don't-"

"Answer the question!"

"Ah! Cream and five sugars!"

Weiss sighed. "Don't move."

Ruby laid there in confusion, wondering if she had done something wrong again. She was surprised to see Weiss holding a fresh cup for her.

"Um, thanks, Weiss."

"Ruby, I wanted to apologize for the way I acted today. I really do think you have what it takes to be a team leader and I let my jealousy get in the way."

Ruby felt her heart swell.

"Just so you know, I'm going to be the best teammate you've ever had," she declared with an honest smile. "Good luck studying." She left to grab her bedclothes but popped back up quickly.

"That's wrong by the way," she declared as she pointed to a spot in Ruby's notes.

Ruby couldn't believe what was happening. Weiss really did believe in her. And it didn't just give her that giddy, excited feeling she usually got. This was warmer, more heartfelt. It felt right.

"Hey, Ruby?"

She turned to see Weiss stopped at the bathroom door.

"I always wanted bunk beds as a kid," she told her and shut the door.

Unknown to either of the girls, Warden was completely awake. He heard everything and was glad the two made up. A small smile formed on his face. Maybe, just maybe, things may turn out different.

 _ **Read and Review.**_


	5. Chapter 5 Secrets and Regrets

**_Disclaimer: I do not own For Honor or RWBY._**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 5: Secrets and Regrets**_

Jaune Arc hated losing. He hated it even more when people were watching, and right now his audience was his entire class. For not the first time since he came here, Jaune felt like he had made a mistake. They were having a spar in Professor Goodwitch's class and he was paired with none other than the school's resident bully: Cardin Winchester.

Cardin was built for brutal power. The auburn-haired giant towered over the smaller Jaune, standing at 6'6 and very broad shouldered. He was clad in black plate armor with gold trimmings, with a golden bird with its wings outstretched painted on the front. Below that he wore a black shirt with red trimmings and simple black pants. His armored boots, same color as his breastplate, were cleated as well.

He grunted as he was knocked back by a heavy blow from Cardin's mace, a barbaric thing complete with eight-bladed wings for cleaving. Jaune's shield rang from the trauma but otherwise held up.

"Move Jaune, don't let this guy knock you around the whole match!"

With a warcry, Jaune charged forward, his sword Crocea Mors raised high over his head. He brought it down in a slash which Cardin easily sidestepped. Chuckling, the brute sent a heavy kick into Jaune's stomach, the blow making him lose his grip on his shield. Grabbing him by the collar with his free hand, Cardin added insult to injury by showing off his sheer strength and throwing Jaune clear across the arena. The blonde crumpled to the floor, too fatigued to catch himself. Struggling to his feet, Jaune charged once more, holding his sword in a two-handed grip and throwing his entire weight into the strike. A loud ring filled the arena as Cardin easily blocked it with his mace, the blade catching in one of the wings.

"This is the part where you give up," he sneered down at his opponent.

"Over my dead bo-" Jaune never got that last word out. Spittle flew from his mouth as Cardin kneed him in the stomach.

Jaune fell to the floor in pain, the wind driven out of him and his muscles on fire from exertion. He had nothing left to give, and Cardin knew it. With a malicious grin, he raised his mace high over his head, intent on landing a finishing blow.

"That's enough!" called Goodwitch.

With a slightly annoyed expression, like a child whose favorite toy was taken, Cardin stepped back. Even he wasn't so stupid to gain the ire of Professor Goodwitch.

"Class, as you can see Mr. Arc's aura has dropped into the red. In a tournament style duel the match, this would indicate that he is unable to continue, and an official would call the match," She tapped a few buttons on her scroll and the large displays above them showing each combatant's picture and aura levels switched off. "Mr. Arc, it has been several weeks now. Please do not neglect to reference your scroll if you are unaware of your aura's levels. It will help you gauge whether or not a more...defensive approach would be more beneficial to your health. We don't want you getting eaten by a stray Ursa now would we?"

Cardin scoffed under his breath as he walked away. "Speak for yourself."

Goodwitch turned her attention to the rest of the class.

"Remember everyone," announced the Professor, "the Vytal Festival is only a few months away. It won't be long now until other students from the other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so keep practicing. Those who choose to compete in the tournament will be representing the entire kingdom. Dismissed."

On the team of RWWBY, the girls were pretty excited for the chance to compete, even Blake, against her normal personality, showed some unusual eagerness. Warden, however, was not displaying the same amount of interest. His attention was on Jaune, the Knight glumly remaining seated in the center of the arena. Looking at Pyrrha, she shared an equally concerned expression as Warden did. They needed to do something about Jaune, get him out of his slump, and quickly.

* * *

 _-Later-_

"So there we were, in the middle. Of the night..." It was Nora's storytime at lunch.

"It was day," corrected Ren.

"We were surrounded by Ursai..."

"They were Beowolves."

"Dozens of them!"

"Two of them."

"But they were no match... and in the end, Ren and I took them down! And made a boatload of Lien by selling Ursa skin rugs."

Nora sat down with a triumphant smirk on her face.

Ren sighed. "She's been having this reoccurring dream for nearly a month now."

"Sounds like it may be a sign of the future or something," suggested Warden as he poked his scrambled eggs with his fork.

"WE'RE GONNA BE RICH! ALL YOU CAN EAT PANCAKES, HERE I COME!"

"Please don't encourage her!" begged Ren as he put a face-palmed.

Jaune ignored it all. He was too busy dejectedly picking at his food with his fork.

"Jaune? Is everything ok?" asked Pyrrha.

"Huh? What makes you say that?"

"Well you just seem kinda... not ok," Ruby added hesitantly.

He laughed nervously. "G-guys, I'm fine. Seriously! Just look!" He gave an unconvincing smile and thumbs up. He deflated when he realized it wasn't working.

"This is about Cardin, correct?" Warden interjected, pointing his fork at the Knight, "Jaune, all that guy has done is be a first-rate jackass and single you out ever since we started the year."

Jaune scoffed. "That's ridiculous, I don't get any special attention."

"What about that time he triggered your shield in a doorway and got you stuck?" asked Blake.

"That was just an accident, and I bumped into him anyway."

"Or when he shoved you into your locker and rigged it to launch you to random coordinates?" chimed in Ren.

"Oh come on guys, I didn't land THAT far away from the school."

"You landed in the Emerald Forest," came a deadpan comment from Weiss.

"He just likes to mess around a lot!"

"Jaune, he's a bully!" said Ruby.

"Jaune, we're all your friends here. You can come to us if you need help," Pyrrha explained, hoping to get more than a dismissal from him.

"I know! We can break his legs!" announced Nora.

"I'm not stopping at his legs," added Yang.

Jaune sighed and stood up, grabbing his tray. "Look, guys I know what you're trying to do, and I appreciate it but I'll be fine. Really. Besides," he shrugged and motioned over to Cardin's group. "He's not just a jerk to me, he's a jerk to everyone."

Warden furrowed his eyebrows before turning in the direction of what Jaune indicated. Cardin, the brute, was making fun of a Faunus rabbit girl, Velvet Scarlatina who was a year ahead of them, laughing uproariously with his buddies while he yanked on one of her brown furred ears.

"Stop it, that hurts!" she cried as she struggled to get away.

"See? What did I tell ya? I told you they were real," he barked. His friends laughed even harder. "What a freak."

The group just watched in disgust to see such actions while Warden...well he refused to let something like this stand without consequence. The Knight stood up suddenly, catching everyone off guard, he tossed his napkin on his plate before looking at each of them, "Excuse me."

Turning on his heel, he left the group in shock. His fists were clenched tightly as the Knight stalked over to the group of bullies. None of them aware of his approach, until he addressed all of them.

 **"Team CRDL!"** bellowed Warden, causing all of them to flinch slightly at the authoritative tone in his voice. Cardinal, though while he turned to face him, did so in surprise rather than following the request, "Would you refrain from pulling on her ears."

"What if I don't?" challenged Cardin as he rose to full height, standing a full head taller than Warden, "What are you gonna do about it?"

"Velvet, are you okay?" asked the Knight, not even taking his focus off of the bully before him.

"Y-yeah," answered Velvet, though she winced slightly as her ears still hurt from being pulled on, "Warden you didn't-"

"On the contrary, I did have to intervene," cut off Warden turning his attention away from the giant in front of him, "no student, Faunus or Human, should be bullied for such a pathetic reason as race. But, would you be willing to join my team for lunch?"

A stunned silence filled the cafeteria, causing Blake to actually widen her eyes slightly; Warden openly asked a Faunus to join them.

"Hey, you listen to-" Cardin had just begun to reach out and grab his shirt, but Warden moved faster than anyone could blink. He caught the bully's wrist and began to twist it slightly, causing Cardin to wince in discomfort.

Team CRDL was about to attack when Warden glared right at them, causing the three to freeze in their tracks. A foreboding atmosphere fell upon the cafeteria. Warden glared at the bullies, letting his aura do all the talking for him. Unlike Yang, his was concentrated and focused; in contrast to hers which would flare out and burn anyone nearby, his exerted unseen force over its surroundings, a dreadful pressure that made the faint of heart unable to stand.

"Chose your next words very carefully, Winchester," ordered Warden, his tone was soft-spoken, but the words cracked like thunder. Some students did exactly that, but that was the worst of their symptoms as he directed all of its power at Cardin. If the latter was honest with himself, he would admit he may have picked the wrong fight. His knees began to shake; only sheer willpower kept him on his feet, "we are here to become Huntsmen and Huntresses, learning to defend Remnant from the Grimm. Nowhere does it say that we are to only defend humans and ridicule Faunus. We are here to protect and give hope, not to harass and discriminate. If, and how unlikely it is, you become a huntsman, you will have an obligation to more ethically upstanding than the average man, woman, human or Faunus. Not Less."

He applied more pressure to Cardin's wrist causing the bully to actually groan in discomfort as he was on the receiving end of one of the worst glares he had ever been given.

 **"Now get the hell out of my sight you pathetically son of a bitch,"** Warden's voice suddenly changed, becoming lower, and almost had an echo. Cardin swore he saw an orangish gold glow appear faintly in the Knight's eyes. Though he couldn't tell for certain as he was suddenly shoved back and nearly stumbled into his team.

Taking a deep breath in, Warden began to calm down and the faint glow began to fade. He really didn't like getting angry, but if there were a few things he disliked, among them were racists and bullies. Though, right now, he was a little more concerned about someone else.

He then walked over to Velvet who couldn't move. She closed her eyes embracing for what may come only to feel a hand on her shoulder. She slowly opened her eyes to see the hand then a concerned look from Warden, "Sorry you had to see that, but it needed to be done. You okay?"

"Y-yes" she stuttered in shock before wincing in pain.

"I'll take that for you," offered Warden as he took up her tray, "come on, we'll go over with my team."

"Thank you," she said before she began to massage her rabbit ears to dull the pain from being pulled.

Everyone in the cafeteria watched in stunned silence as Warden guided Velvet over to his team and Team JNPR. The Knight ignored the looks he was receiving from a few students but noted a few who were more surprised that he had the bravery to stand up for a Faunus. When he and Velvet arrived at the table, Warden set the tray down for her before seating himself right next to her. Looking up for a second, he noticed the surprised looks of all his friends, minus Pyrrha who had a knowing look. But out of everyone, Warden took notice of a different kind of surprise.

Blake was absolutely stunned, but while he expression could be passed off as identical to anyone else who just witnessed the Knight take the initiative to defend someone else, a Faunus at that. Warden noticed the tiniest twitch of her bow, but more importantly, the look in her eyes said that she was very surprised to hear what he said rather than as much of what he did.

"Could you quit staring at me like that?" asked Warden, feeling a little uncomfortable with all the attention, "It's creepy."

"W-What! Y-You! How! Why!" Ruby tried to say, but couldn't find the right words. She was shocked along with the rest of the group to see Warden take such an action. They would have thought he would contact a teacher first, but boy, were they wrong.

Weiss was able to recover first and was able to explain, "It just that... we didn't think you would do something like that."

"It's something I picked up in Shade," explained Warden, "in Vacuo, it really is survival of the fittest, meaning that you need to be willing to stand up against anyone or anything to survive. But the racial issues there aren't as bad because of the dangers. You need to be at the top of your game to see the next day. So no one has the time or real issue to stop or harass someone for their race. Also, while I do agree, I could've solved that without using physical force, it was the only option that would've worked."

"And you believe that was your only option?" asked Weiss, a little surprised to hear how harsh things are in Vacuo. Granted, she had heard a few stories and read a few textbooks about the continent. But hearing it from someone who has actually lived and trained there was much more enlightening and put into perspective the level of training Warden had.

"Guys like Cardin and his cronies, they won't back down unless you take a stand yourself."

The group blinked on how quick he responded without a second thought. The Faunus was surprised to hear such words from a Human. Normally, they would ignore discrimination that Faunus, like herself, endure and move along. So seeing a human willingly helping her was like a dream come true.

Warden then turned to Velvet, "I don't we've been properly introduced: I'm Warden, Warden Allister." He offered a handshake for her.

She was hesitant about shaking his hand, but the comfort his eyes melt away the hesitation, "V-Velvet Scarlatina."

"You feeling okay? I mean, they did pull in your ears pretty hard from what I saw."

"They're better now, thank you" she answered while rubbing one of them.

"Good, if they were still hurting I'd have to kick their asses in Professor Goodwitch's class," joked Warden, causing Velvet to smile slightly while her cheeks began to burn slightly pink as she averted her attention.

Warden chuckled at her shyness. Looking around the table, he noticed a few of his friends were giving him a rather surprised look, save for Pyrrha who knew who used to be on his team, and Ruby who was also rather surprised but also fuming slightly. He looked a little confused for a moment and was about to ask what was wrong, but a certain blonde asked a question first.

"Hey, Ward?" asked Yang.

"Yeah?"

"Not trying to sound racist or anything, but why did you help her?" Yang asked curiously. She wasn't the only one who wanted to know everybody, especially Blake and Velvet, wanted to hear his reason.

"Because it was the right thing to do," answered the Knight simply as he grabbed his mug and quickly went to get a cup of coffee. Upon his return, Yang continued her question.

"We get that, but... Aren't you worried about how the other students will treat you? They might look down on you for helping a Faunus, no offense."

Velvet just shook her head stating it was alright before shifting his attention to the Knight, "Yeah, normally people us differently and you helping me will cause major problems." The group looked down for a moment waiting for something, but what they got surprised them all.

"And?"

"Well, aren't you at all worried about what people might say or do?" asked Weiss, regaining her composure from such a blunt response.

"We're here to protect Remnant from the Grimm, and from what I can see, the Faunus are a part of Remnant," explained Warden setting his mug of coffee down before he began to go into further depth, "as you heard me tell Cardin and his team, we all came here to protect innocent people, to defend and serve all, not who we decide. And as soon to be protectors, we have an obligation to be more ethically upstanding than the average person. Meaning we are can't let the opinions of others affect our duty to protect mankind and Faunus-Kind. To that end, I don't see how reputations, popularity, or general status will affect our duty. As such if people dislike me for helping a Faunus, then that is their opinion. And their opinion only affects my job if I let it. And if anyone has a problem with how I fight, what I fight for, or who I help and protect, then they are more than welcome to come and say it to my face."

"Really?" Yang asked in disbelief. She had kinda figured Warden would be the kind of humble Knight, but damn, he was flat out like a hero from a fairy tale. He didn't care what people thought of him, he didn't care about status, he didn't care if he was hated. He only cared about protecting innocent people, regardless of whether they are Faunus or Human.

"In the words of the Iron Legion Creed: _'We are the guardians of our people. We stand strong against all invaders. Duty is our shield, order: our weapon. When we defend the weak, we are...immortal,'_ " recited Warden, knowing that creed by heart.

"Xanther, really left an impression on you?" said Pyrrha as she rested a hand on the Knight's own.

"Yeah, he did," murmured Warden, "sure we are physically different, but we all share the same world. But can you tell me just how different we are?"

The group all looked at each other and ponder to come up with an answer, but came up with nothing. Two particular females were shocked to hear such words from him. Blake now looked at Warden with greater respect and interest while Velvet has a slight blush on her face. For the Faunus, she never thought she will see the day when a human treated her kind with such respect. Though the humans on her team treated her kindly, they paled in comparison to Warden.

A small smirk appeared on Blake's face, "You sure are one of a kind, Warden."

"Yeah", Velvet nodded in agreement, "You're one of a few people who doesn't treat me like a monster."

"A monster is something that kills for no reason, a villain," stated Warden, "and I'm pretty sure you're far from being considered a villain."

Velvet blushed a little bit more, not used to this much kindness from a human. Warden was about to ask if she was okay when he sensed a dangerous feeling. Looking up he saw Ruby fuming a bit more while the rest of the group knew he was only being nice.

"What?"

* * *

 _-Later-_

History class was, well, one of the more mundane classes of Beacon that students had to take whilst they were here. The teacher of History was Professor Oobleck. Professor Bartholomew Oobleck, or Doctor as he would often correct his students, taught a more interesting class than other instructors, at least in Warden's opinion. The man was a genius of all things history and there were very few questions whose answers he wasn't privy to. Tall and lanky, the caffeine addicted Huntsman towered over all his students, his body in constant jitters from his never-ending thermos.

Unlike Goodwitch and Port, Oobleck kept up a much more... disheveled appearance. His sea-green hair was wild and unkempt, messily swept back across his head. A long-sleeved, white shirt was only half tucked into brown-green pants, the collar popped upwards with a yellow tie hanging loosely around his neck, and every day he never seemed to properly match his shoes. Opaque, round glasses seemed to defy physics and remain "glued" to his face, despite his constant movement. This inattentiveness to personal grooming was made up for in his vast knowledge of the world and events past, which he would eagerly share with anyone willing to listen.

"Yes! Yes, prior to the Faunus Rights Revolution, more popularly known as the Faunus War, humankind was quite, quite adamant about centralizing Faunus population in Menagerie," The Professor stopped for a moment to take a sip of his coffee before continuing the lecture, "Now! While this must feel like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively recent events! Why the repercussions of the uprising can still be seen to this day!"

 _'How many cups of coffee does this guy have?'_ wondered Warden as he tried to keep up with him. was sitting next to Weiss reading his book while Blake sat next to Pyrrha right in front of them. Jaune was busy snoring and Cardin was simply ignoring the lecture. He knew about the Faunus War and such during his time at the library and he can recall every detail the books said about it, also, his godfather had him study a lot of history to know what happened in the past so as to avoid making the same mistakes.

Professor Oobleck took another sip of his drink and began appearing and reappearing, "Now! Have any among you been subjugated or discriminated because of your Faunus heritage?"

It took a few seconds, a couple of students raised their hands. Among them was Velvet who took her time raising her hand.

"Dreadful, simply dreadful! Remember, students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance breeds violence! I mean, I mean, I mean just look at what happened to the White Fang! Now, which one of you young scholars can tell me what many theorists believe to be the turning point in the third year of the war?"

Weiss quickly raised her hand to answer, "The battle at Fort Castle."

"Precisely! And, who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General Lagune's forces?"

While Professor Oobleck asked the question, Cardin made a paper football and flick it at Jaune causing him to wake up. Unfortunately for him, he accidentally raised his hand catching the attention of a certain teacher.

"Mr. Arc! Finally contributing to class! This is excellent! Excellent! What is the answer?"

"Uhhhh... the answer... the advantage, uhh of the Faunus... uhh had over that guy's stuff..." Pyrrha tried to give him the answer by performing some hand gestures, but sadly Jaune misinterpreted it. "Um, b-binoculars!"

Sadly for him, the students just laugh at him and Professor Oobleck looked unamused. Pyrrha simply slapped herself in the face while Warden sighed and rested his fingers against his temple. Cardin was enjoying it completely because he was the one who forced Jaune to embarrass himself.

"Very funny, Mr. Arc! Cardin, perhaps you would care to share your thoughts on the subject?"

"Well, I know it's a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier," he answered calmly as Warden glared at him. He knew Cardin was a bully, but that was uncalled for in many, many ways.

"You're not the most open-minded of individuals, are you, Cardin?" Pyrrha asked.

"What? You got a problem?" he snapped with a smug expression.

"No, I have the answer! It's night vision. Many Faunus are known to have nearly-perfect sight in the dark."

"General Lagune was inexperienced and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep. His massive army was outmatched, and the General was captured" Blake added on.

"Not to mention, they also have heard far better than humans. The average human person can hear between 20 Hz up to 20,000 Hz, while a Faunus can hear beyond that," continued Warden, "to that end, attempting to ambush the Faunus was a poor decision. His pride also made him overlook the fact that he should've learned about the Faunus if he had hoped to avoid capture and consequential defeat."

"Correct!" the Professor said enthusiastically.

Blake turned to face Cardin, "Perhaps if he'd paid attention in class, he wouldn't have been remembered as such a failure."

Cardin clutched a fist in anger and stood up, but he was stopped in his place by Oobleck, "Mr. Winchester, please take your seat." Jaune began to laugh softly sadly it did not go unnoticed. "You and Mr. Arc can both see me after class for additional readings."

Warden shook his head sighing, he knew something was wrong, he could tell easily. Jaune was a good person, don't get him wrong, but he was falling behind quickly. Even as Team RWWBY left and began to head to their dorm for the end of the day, the knight still had a hard look on his face. He knew that the Arc had a chance to be a good Huntsman. He knew it, and so did Pyrrha. Speaking of the Spartan, Warden noticed that Pyrrha had stayed behind, waiting for Jaune.

"You okay, Warden?" asked Ruby, noticing that Warden had stopped and was looking at Pyrrha. She went back to stand beside him.

"Just trying to figure out how Jaune didn't know the answer to that question," replied Warden, knowing full well why Pyrrha was staying behind.

A few weeks ago, when Jaune started to fall behind everyone else, Pyrrha began to voice her concern, mostly to Warden since she knew him very well. So she explained her concern for Jaune and Warden agreed to help her in any way he could. She was like a little sister to him. Pyrrha was in a way like family to him, and he wasn't about to see her or her friends get hurt.

"Yeah," agreed Yang as she joined her sister, "Maybe he got stage fright or something."

"In any case, Jaune is going to have to pull his act together if he wants to stay in Beacon," he said which the two girls nodded in agreement.

Before they made a turn, Warden noticed Pyrrha dragging Jaune to the opposite direction. He hoped Pyrrha will get through to him, but something tells him that she won't. Right now, all he could do was wish her luck and see if she managed to break through to the blonde. Jaune had promise, but he just couldn't accept some help.

Even as they were walking back, Warden couldn't help but feel that something was off. From what he's heard about Professor Ozpin, he should've known as soon as he saw Jaune's poor grades and even poorer performance in combat that he really wasn't meant to be here. As much as he hated to think it, but Warden suspected that Jaune might have forged his way into Beacon. It would explain why he was doing so poorly, and Ozpin would know immediately that Jaune lied.

But that raises another question: if Ozpin knew that Jaune had lied about his transcripts, then why did he let him in?

Ozpin surely had to have reasons why he let Jaune Arc into Beacon. He even let Warden, despite what happened to his last team. Still though, whatever was going inside the Professor's head had him concerned. What is he up to?"

A buzz rang from Warden's pocket and it was his Scroll. He quickly opened it to see message from Pyrrha. She needed to talk to him, right away. It was about Jaune. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he closed the message and put his scroll away, "I'll catch up with you guys, Pyrrha needs to talk to me."

"What does she need to see you for?" asked Ruby, a little curious.

"Not entirely sure, but if I had to guess, it's about Jaune," he replied, "I'll see you guys back at the dorm."

"Bye," waved Ruby, which Warden returned as he turned on his heel and headed in the same direction as Jaune and Pyrrha.

* * *

 _-Team RWWBY's Dorm-_

"Blake, remind me to never get on Ward's bad side," requested Yang as she and the others returned to their dorm room.

As History was their last class for the dar, the girls had gone back to their room, minus Warden who was called by Pyrrha to discuss something regarding Jaune.

"I never thought Warden would do something like that," commented Ruby as she sat herself down on her bed, "like, talking to them and getting them to back I get, but I didn't think Warden would actually do that."

"Despite using force, he did explain why he did it," interjected Blake as she lazily turned a page in her book.

"Even so, that was extremely reckless," admonished Weiss, "I was expecting him to contact Professor Goodwitch or Professor Ozpin. We're lucky that Cardin didn't retaliate."

"Oh come on Ice Queen, you've never gotten into a little school scuffle?" Yang said as she waved nonchalantly.

"Of course not! Atlas schools pride themselves on discipline and professionalism. Any signs of disobedience or disorder are stamped out quickly and thoroughly before anything like all of 'this'," she waved her arms across in front of her for effect, "can develop."

"Well that explains a lot," shrugged Yang. "You're too uptight Weiss, live a little! It's not like you're getting any younger; don't you have any boys you're interested in? Ya know, a little Sunday morning in town at a coffee shop? Go to the spa afterward or the fair, and ya know, make out?"

Weiss blushed and sputtered. "H-how come everything just revolves around your libido?"

Yang smirked. "Is that a yes?"

Weiss turned away not answering, face flushed as red as her blazer.

"Oh, you do! Spill girl, I need deets."

Inside Weiss was freaking out. Ruby and Blake had caught on to her nervousness and were listening intently. Had someone wormed their way into the Ice Queen's heart? Ruby suddenly felt a spike of dread. It couldn't be him, could it? _'Oh no, please let me be wrong.'_

But it seemed like she wouldn't get the chance as Warden suddenly entered the room.

"Well, I'm back," announced Warden as he closed the door behind him.

"What did Pyrrha want to talk about?" asked Ruby as she hopped down from her bunk, her apprehension forgotten.

"Just somethings about Jaune," he answered evenly, but there was much more to it.

* * *

 _-A few minutes earlier-_

 _Warden knew that something was wrong, if not for the message then for the clear display that Pyrrha wanted to talk to Jaune and see what was wrong and how she could help him. That had always been one of her best traits, in Warden's mind: Pyrrha was just so kind and genuine. Traits that Warden could relate to._

 _But right now, he could tell that something was clearly bothering her. Warden was heading to the plaza outside the school, and despite it getting late, students were still technically allowed outside granted they didn't stray too far from the school. The Knight was heading towards the fountain, or more specifically a bench that looked towards the fountain._

 _Leaning against the side of it was Pyrrha. A_ _nervous look adorning her face as she crossed her arms and tapped her foot seeming to be in deep thought._

 _"Pyrrha?" Called our Warden._

 _The action drawing the Mistral native's attention as she turned in the Knight's direction._

 _"Warden," greeted Pyrrha as she gave him a quick hug, "Thank you for coming. Do you have a minute?"_

 _"Yeah, let's sit down," he gestured to a bench. But as he did so, he noted_ _her voice. The tone Pyrrha used gave away that she had a lot on her mind._

 _Leading her over to the bench, the two sat down. After a moment, Warden gave the red-head his full attention._

 _"Now, what is it you wanted to talk about, regarding Jaune?" He asked._

 _"I'm worried," began Pyrrha as she looked down, "I'm sure you could tell that he hasn't been doing well in classes and that he can't hold himself up in a fight. But it's not that, I offered to help, but he turned me down."_

 _"When you and Jaune went up to talk in private," recalled Warden, "what exactly happened?"_

 _"When I brought him up to the roof to talk, I offered to help him with practice. It's my job as his partner to do whatever I can if he's struggling...but he turned me down, telling me that he needed to do everything on his own and to not be treated like a damsel in distress." her hands tightened into fists as she recalled that night, sadness shining across her eyes when she thought how Jaune just tossed away her kind gesture when all she wanted was to try and help him._

 _However, Warden knew that while Pyrrha was a kind person, who went out of her way to help anyone who she believed was in need; she seemed more concerned for Jaune, or more so than anyone else._

 _"You must care about him a lot, as a partner," commented Warden, making a mental note about Pyrrha's behavior regarding Jaune. The champion nodded, saying that she was concerned for her friend._

 _Taking a moment to think, Warden could only come to one conclusion, "Your heart's in the right place, Pyrrha. But, it's up to Jaune to ask for help," he sighed sadly, seeing the downcast expression on her face, "but that doesn't mean you should give up. While Jaune doesn't want your help, there is something you can do for him."_

 _Pyrrha looked up at him, a little confused, "What do you mean?"_

 _"The answer is simple; just be there for him when he finally realizes that he can't do everything on his own. Furthermore, he needs to realize that he has a new responsibility, that demands him to be at his best. He is a leader of a team now, meaning he has an obligation to not be the best he can be for himself, but for those on his team. For Nora. For Ren. And for you."_

 _Pyrrha smiled in thanks for Warden's help. It was true, and despite how harsh it might sound, Jaune had to be at his best. Not just for himself, but for his team, and his partner. Even though he rejected her help, Pyrrha would be there to help when he called for it. She wouldn't be mad, or upset, she would be thankful._

 _"But, if things aren't looking any better, I'll talk to him, see if I can't help get things in check," added Warden, as he placed a reassuring hand on Pyrrha's shoulder._

 _Though, while not completely unexpected, the Spartan pulled the Knight into a quick hug._

 _"Thank you, Warden," thanked Pyrrha, genuinely happy to hear from a friend._

 _"You don't have to thank me, I'll be there whenever you need it," Replied Warden as be returned the hug. After a moment, the two separated and stood up, "I think it's time we return to our rooms. It was nice talking, Pyrrha."_

 _The Spartan nodded as she and Warden headed back to their rooms. Though, even with the agreement between the two, Jaune was in for way more than either of them_ _realized_.

* * *

 _-Elsewhere-_

However, while the students of Beacon were turning in for the night, a lone figure was traveling along a barren path towards the city of Vale. The path had been used by experienced Huntsmen and Huntresses as a traveling route should they cross the continent by foot much like Warden had once done. But since Grimm activity had been spiking in recent times, the path had become less used and only the most skilled of Huntsmen took this route. Or, the most stupid people, either or.

Traveling along the path, coming to a stop just at the top of a hill overlooking Vale, the figure came to a stop. A crisp breeze drifted through the air, causing the person's clothing to wave gently. The figure stood around six feet in height, with a slim but agile build/ Black long hair tied in a braid hung out from underneath the straw hat. Wearing a Shitagi with Hakama pants tied off at the end by greaves. The Shitagi was colored grey with some lime green patterns, resembling a bamboo forest. The Hakama pants were mainly grey as well but held some lime green coloring. The person also wore a pair of wooden sandals. On top of the stranger's head was a worn down straw Kasa, a portion of it breaking off as a result of that wear. But the most notable feature was the Panda ears poking up through the hat, giving away that the stranger was not human, but a Faunus.

But, while the figure had a pair of Wakizashis, the true weapons that were used were a pair of Katanas sheathed in a cross fashion over the back. The weapons may have looked like regular swords, they could also function as snake swords, extending to around twelve feet. The person was not a Huntsman, but he was damn near as skilled as one.

The Kasa was angled down, covering the stranger's eyes. However, looking up ever so slightly, the person seemed to be looking in the direction of Vale. But it wouldn't do much good. With the person's face now revealed, you could tell that the person was a male Faunus, with a black goatee. However, over the eyes was a set of bandages. In short, this Panda Faunus was blind.

"So, this is Vale," said the Panda Faunus to no one in particular, "I thought it would be larger."

Without even looking down, he ran his hand across the dirt trail. Feeling the shape and form of the trail. Even without his vision, he has other senses.

"It appears I was not the only being to traverse the continent by foot," he commented as he stood up, "I wonder if Ozpin will remember."

With that, the Faunus restarted his journey towards Vale where he would stay for a little way and rest before he met his old friend. However, it was not for a social call. Things have been changing, and the Iron Legion keeps have been disturbed by something...

Or, rather someone.

 ** _To Be Continued..._**


	6. Chapter 6 The Crossing

**_Chapter 6, looking good so far, also, if you've been paying attention, you'd spot the introduction of a new character in the previous chapter. I will be including another OC, even though I didn't make a mention of it. This OC is a creation of SaibotVapor, and the later fight scene is SaiborVapor's work, so credit goes where credit is due. Also, I have taken a look at the polls and here are their results:_**

 ** _Ruby Rose: 4_**

 ** _Weiss Schnee: 2_**

 ** _Blake Belladonna: 1_**

 ** _Yang Xiao Long: 1_**

 ** _Pyrrha: 0_**

 ** _We have a winner: Ruby Rose is gonna be paired with Warden._**

 ** _Disclaimer: own nothing; For Honor is owned by Ubisoft, RWBY by Roosterteeth, etc._**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 6: The Crossing**_

 _-2 Weeks Since Meeting-_

Despite the reassurance that Warden gave Pyrrha that Jaune would eventually come around and see that this isn't about him, that he has a responsibility to his team, Jaune has yet to come. In fact, what Warden said that he'd speak to the blonde Knight about his priorities have been slow going in fact. The Arc had strangely been spending a lot of time with Team CRDL.

The blonde knight had been withdrawn from not only his team but his group of friends as well, all while spending all his time around Cardin and team CRDL. Any and all attempts to talk to him had been rebuffed in some way which had left the others either concerned or angry. Though none of them nearly as much as Pyrrah, which Warden could understand. Most people saw Pyrrha Nikos as a celebrity, The Invincible Girl, Jaune saw her as just her: Pyrrha Nikos. So it really hurt to see his best friend in such a state.

However, at the moment, he and his team were currently discussing notes they took in Port's latest class in the cafeteria, and see if they were actually readable. Most of his lecture had him rhapsodizing about his past glory, resulting in many students falling asleep. Since it was Thursday, and First Years had a trip tomorrow, many students decided to deal with it later, but Team RWWBY agreed to get it out of the way.

Though, their resident Knight was thinking about something else. Jaune had not improved at all, even more, he seemed to be doing worse and Team CRDL was strangely doing better. Warden made a promise to Pyrrha to talk to Jaune and see what's wrong. It was time he honored that promise. He picked up his tray and was about to leave when a certain reaper called for him.

"Warden?" said Ruby, a little confused why her friend was leaving all of a sudden, "Where're you going?"

"To find Jaune and see what the heck is going on," replied Warden.

"Why?" asked Weiss, not seeing what Jaune's problems had to do with him.

"I spoke to Pyrrha a while back about Jaune," explained Warden, gaining a confused look from his team, "You all know he hasn't been doing so well, so Pyrrha wanted to help him. Jaune rejected her help, saying he had to do this himself. So Pyrrha came to me to ask what should she do. I told her that it's up to Jaune to figure out this isn't about him anymore, that he has a responsibility to his team. I made a promise to talk to him if he hasn't come around since then. I'm going to honor that promise."

"You'd really do that for her?" asked Yang, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"A Warden's promise is not so easily broken," joked Warden, causing Weiss and Blake to groan while Yang and Ruby snickered lightly, "I'll see you guys back at our room."

With that, the teen quickly put his tray away and left the cafeteria. Back with his friends, they watched him until he was gone all the while wondering, minus Weiss, Pyrrha's relationship with Warden was. Ruby was particularly curious, narrowing her eyes the tiniest amount, though a tiny bit of fear wormed its way into her head. Did Warden like Pyrrha?

"Warden sure doesn't mess around with promises," quipped Yang, ending the silence that hung around after the Knight left.

"He also seems to be with Pyrrha a lot," added Blake, not looking up from her notes.

"I say it's too often," muttered Ruby, and while she wanted to it be quiet, her sister still heard it.

"Ruby Rose, are you jealous of Pyrrha?" asked Yang teasingly, causing the young reaper to turn bright red in embarrassment.

"No!"

"You're denying it, meaning that it's true!"

"YANG!"

"It's not like that," interjected Weiss, drawing the two's attention, "Pyrrha is just a good friend of his, back before he came here."

"And how do you know, did Warden tell you by any chance?" asked Yang, turning her teasing attention to the Heiress.

"No! Not like that!" replied Weiss, a little too quickly for her comfort, "It was on the day of the initiation, I was talking with Pyrrha about making teams and Warden recognized her. The two treat each other like siblings, nothing more."

"How?" asked Ruby, forgetting her own embarrassment for the moment to focus on her curiosity of Warden's past.

"He didn't really explain," lamented Weiss, realizing that Warden never did really explain how he knew Pyrrha.

Questions filled the group's mind as they wondered about Warden's past, well, minus Weiss who knew a little about his past, but not a lot. Now that they think about it, whenever they talk to him, he never really talked about his past, family, or really anything personal. He usually just listens and asks about them and whenever they ask about his past, Warden usually gives a vague answer.

And more often then naught, Warden never explained how he got his training, given that the way he fights is extremely archaic, like before the Great War old. Despite being on their team, Team RWWBY still knew very little about their friend. Ruby, Blake, and Yang continued to wonder about Warden and his history, while Weiss, she kept quiet about certain things, like the fate of his original team.

"I wonder why Warden doesn't really talk about his past," said Ruby aloud.

"It could be a sensitive topic for him," supplied Blake, trying to figure out the knight. She would admit, she was curious herself about him, and a little bit more about his views on the Faunus and White Fang.

"In a way," said Weiss quietly, remembering the tragic tale of Warden's original team.

"What do you mean?" asked Blake, getting the attention of the two sisters.

"Warden used to go to Vacuo where he was hailed as a prodigy, kinda like Pyrrha was," the Heiress explained.

"How do you know that?" asked Ruby.

"Remember that day after Professor Port's class when we had that fight? I went up to the dorm's balcony to think. Warden came looking for me and- quit looking at me like that Ruby, nothing happened!" She snapped with a light blush before continuing, "He explained to me why neither of us was picked to be the leader of Team RWWBY. Told me a little bit about his past, how he had absorbed everything of material his teachers threw at him and was unmatched in a fight. He used to have an old team before he came here."

"What happened to them?" asked Yang, a little curious herself.

"It's not my place to say," replied Weiss, knowing that Warden wouldn't be too happy to hear that she told the rest of the team about what happened without his consent.

With more and more questions being added by the second, the team grew ever curious about the young Knight, especially Ruby. One thing for sure they have one common important question, who was Warden Allister?

* * *

 _ **Team JNPR's Dorm Room**_

The afternoon sun was slowly beginning to dip down to the horizon, casting long shadows across the city of Vale. It looked like it was going to be a peaceful night for most students in Beacon. Except for Team JNPR.

Inside their room, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren were doing their own thing while their leader was out. Pyrrha was staring out the window with a sad expression on her face while Nora jumps up and down the bed as Ren was cleaning StormFlower. Jaune hasn't been hanging out with them for past couple weeks causing the Spartan to be extremely concern. The reason is that he's been hanging with Team CRDL.

She knew she spoke to Warden about this, but she wondered when he might go do something. Suddenly, her scroll began to vibrate, causing the Champion to look down at it. Opening it up, she saw she received a message from Warden. Opening it up, Pyrrha felt a little bit of relief wash over her as she finished reading it.

Warden was going to find Jaune and talk.

"How come Jaune gets home late?" Nora asked, drawing Pyrrha out of her thoughts.

"He's become rather scarce ever since he's been fraternizing with CRDL" he added while he did the finishing touches on StormFlower.

"That's weird. Doesn't he know we have a field trip tomorrow? We need our rest!" she said before twirling in the midair and landed on her back.

"I'm sure our leader knows exactly what he's doing" Pyrrha angrily said causing Nora and Ren to exchange glances.

"Hmm... I guess so."

Little did they know, Jaune was right outside the door listening to everything they said through the crack of the door. He softly closed the door as he felt ashamed. But as the Arc was wallowing in his own shame, a single individual rounded the corner to the hallway.

Warden had been looking for Jaune for the past fifteen minutes, and he was a little fed up with him ignoring his team thus far. After he turned the corner, the Knight saw a dejected looking Jaune Arc sitting on the floor outside of JNPR's dorm.

"Jaune," said the Knight, startling the teen to his feet and spin around to see Warden walking towards him, "we need to talk."

"Oh, hey, Warden," greeted Jaune.

"Did you lock yourself out again?" he asked as he approached Jaune so that he was standing right in front of him.

"Nah, got my key right here," he answered, laughing nervously.

"Then you have got enough to talk with me," stated Warden as he placed his hand on Jaune's shoulder and began to lead them away.

"Listen, I've got to get back to my team," the Arc pathetically objected, which resulted in Warden narrowing his eyes.

"But it seemed like you have more than enough time to hang out with Team CRDL your own team," stated Warden sharply as he and Jaune made their way outside. Once outside, he and Jaune approached a bench and Warden had him sit down, "Tell me what's wrong, Jaune."

The blonde hesitated for a moment then sighed. "Ah who am I kidding..." he muttered. "I did something stupid, something that I really shouldn't have and now Cardin's got me on a leash and Pyrrha won't even look at me, let alone talk. I'm starting to think coming to this school was a mistake... I'm a failure."

"You're wrong, Jaune," answered Warden forcefully.

"Huh?"

"We all make mistakes, Jaune, some more than others," answered Warden somberly, knowing that his own mistake was far worse than Jaune's mistake, "but you are not a failure. If you were, you wouldn't still be here, you would have quit earlier, but you didn't, you're trying to fix your mistake. Besides, you're a leader now, you don't just have an obligation to yourself, but to your team. Be their leader."

"But, what if I'm a failure at being a leader?" asked Jaune, not fully understanding where Warden.

"Then don't pretend," said Warden, "be their leader. Be the person your team wants. Be there for them, and they will be there for you."

Jaune sighed in depress as he hangs his head, "How can I? I'm weak and pathetic, how can I be a leader? How can I overcome this?"

"You can start by not making the same mistake I made and leave your team when they need you."

"What?" blinked Jaune as he looked up at Warden, seeing that his head was hung low and his eyes were closed.

"I made a mistake, it got my team hurt, nearly killed actually. That didn't blame me for what happened, I blamed myself. I thought I wasn't fit to lead them so I left," Warden clenched his fists tightly, to the point where he could hear his knuckles cracking slightly, "That was the worst mistake I ever made: leaving my team. I was thinking about myself. I was selfish. I thought I wasn't the leader they deserve and I was right. I was the leader they needed and I let them down."

Jaune couldn't say anything as he looked at Warden in shock. Pyrrha talked a little about Warden, how he was one of the few people that she couldn't beat in a fight. So, hearing that this guy openly admit he made a mistake was really surprising. Not even after a second passed, Warden steeled his emotions before continuing.

"You're making the same mistake I did, Jaune. Thinking about yourself. As a leader, you can't think about yourself, you need to think about your team, their well being. You might not be the leader they deserve, but be the leader they need. Once you are that, you'll overcome any obstacle, not for you, for them."

With that, Warden turned and was about to leave Jaune to think about his most recent decisions. But, before the Knight entered the school, he stopped in the doorway to glance over his shoulder, "And for the record, Jaune. Pyrrha isn't speaking to you because she's upset, she's respecting your decision. Now make a good one if not for your team...then do it for her."

With that, Warden left Jaune to think about what he might do next. It was true, he had a new responsibility, to his team, his partner. And he's been ignoring them, ignoring his responsibility. If he wanted to be the leader he always wanted, he had to stop pretending. He needed to be the leader his team needed. Feeling the encouragement in his words, Jaune felt ready to face his team. His courage was short lived as a message beeped from his Scroll. He quickly opened it up only to see it was a message from Cardin and decided to replay the message.

 _'Hey! It's your buddy, Cardin. I know you're probably busy with that dust project I gave you, but I gonna need you to go out and get me a bag of rapier wasps. And make sure they've got some really big stingers. It's important, so don't screw this up!'_

Jaune shut his Scroll quickly and sighed before walking into the hallways to get the wasps for Cardin.

But even as this was going on, someone else was dealing with the burden of bullies.

* * *

 _ **City of Vale**_

In the city, even at this hour, people were still bustling about, though some gave a few dirty looks to one certain individual.

Walking through the sea of people, the lone Panda Faunus, the one who entered Vale 2 weeks prior, was heading to meet an old friend. His name was Taupe Alabaster. The Faunus had a rough history, being mistreated by humans at a very early age, then going on to join the White Fang before it started acting violently, or as he preferred to call it, the 'Old Fang.' He was a big supporter of the founder of the White Fang, but he believed in a peaceful resolution in contrast to the current leader's view that violence was the only answer.

Adam Taurus.

The name still left a bad taste in his mouth.

Taupe and Adam had been rivals for a very long time. Both supported equal rights for Faunus for a long time, though Taupe suspected Adam wanted more. The two constantly traded ideas and views of the White Fang, then things went south one day. For that moment on, let's just say that Taupe had a new perspective to view the world around him. Even with his vision gone, Taupe could still make do with his other senses, as well as his Semblance. But enough of that.

He had finally arrived in the city of Vale, although he could not see how the city looked, he could picture through the feelings and vibrations everything was giving off. Taupe sighs softly, wishing to once again know how it is to see the light, the colors, everything he lost. Sadly it's impossible to restore sight completely. But he had to focus. He needed to find his old friend and warn him.

The Keeps of the fallen Legion have been disturbed. Torches glimmered from the windows. Something is sifting through the ruins of a dynasty that has long since been lost.

His benefactors had helped him overcome his blindness, in exchange for his help. And since Ozpin had prior dealings with them, he was sure the Professor would listen to his warning. If it was whom they thought it was...then a new war will likely follow.

Taupe was walking down the street, his...unusual attire did draw some attention, but people merely figure he was from Mistral or some other place. Others thought he was a Huntsman. Most also noticed the bandages over his eyes and the ears atop his hat. Some, of childish behavior, wanted to mess with blind warrior tried placing their feet out in front to trip him, however thanks to his semblance he was able to go around them.

However, unaware to Taupe was that he was being watched from the shadows by multiple unseen forces. They were waiting for him and would strike once they were ready.

The night was slowly turning into day, the sun rising up, and Taupe has yet to find any clues to his friend's whereabouts, that is until he felt a pair of eyes gaze intently at him. Choosing to move away from the populated areas, Taupe headed over to a nearby abandoned alleyway and waited. Soon multiple figures came out from the shadows, each wearing a white jacket and a Grimm mask. On the back of each jacket was a symbol feared by all humanity. The mark of the White Fang.

"Look what we have here boys, a deserter," One says slightly bigger than his comrades.

"I'm not here to fight you, brothers and sisters," Taupe responds calmly, his head bowed, hiding his bandaged eyes.

"You lost the right to call us that the day you left the fang!" The leader yells, but Taupe is unfazed.

"I left only because our people were falling down a path of evil, and Sienna Khan was not fit to tell us to become terrorists."

"We are doing what is needed! Humanity won't change unless we make them change! All they will see from us are monsters! No different than the Grimm, so if they want to treat us like monsters. We will become them," The leader says growling loudly.

"That is why you all fight; because you look too much into the evil of humanity," rebuked the blind warrior, "You all blindly avert your eyes to the good they can bring. I have opened my heart to all and have shown them what peace can bring. I'm sorry you all have followed this path. And it pains me, knowing you will all blindly follow the white fangs lead. So I ask for your forgiveness." Taupe says, before drawing his twin katanas.

The leader gritted his teeth. How dare this traitor lecture them on what is good?! He has no right to speak to us, no right to bare those weapons!

So, he'll just take them from his cold corpse.

"Kill him," The leader says.

A grunt armed with a machete charges Taupe and tries to strike him down, only for Taupe to redirect him into the wall behind him. Growling in frustration the others step in and each tries to hit him, but Taupe parries them all, spinning around and pushes them all back.

One grunt screams loudly and goes for an overhead slice, only for his scream to be cut off, as he feels his body go cold and feels something trickle down his chest. He looks down and sees a blade run through his chest. Taupe sighs softly and pulls his blade out and hears the thud of the grunt hit the floor.

Each grunt, now fueled by anger charge him all at once, Taupe flicks the swords in his hands and along the blades, they divide into segments with an elastic wire running through them, turning his katanas into snake swords, Taupe wraps his blade around the ankle of one and yanks hard causing the grunt to fly into his back. Taupe the dodges an incoming strike, from another, acting quickly he wraps his sword around his neck and yanks hard and a loud snap is heard. He lets him go and dodges another strike, this time wrapping both blades around two more Fang members and flicks a switch on the sides of the blade, a powerful current of electricity goes through the blades and shocks the two members before they fall down. Retracting his swords Taupe looks in the leader's direction and growls. Knowing he sent his followers to their deaths.

"You see now, the monsters the White Fang have made you. Sacrificing our people's lives, instead of saving them. This is why I left. It is you who betray our people," Taupe says pointing his blade at the leader.

"Well then, if that's how you see us, then I guess you have something in common with the humans. Meaning you can die screaming like one!" The leader says charging Taupe, but before Taupe can strike a number of shots are fired and shoot past Taupe and into the commander's body. He gags, before collapsing in front of Taupe.

Someone chuckles behind him and standing at the entrance to the alley is a black hooded figure wielding a rifle of some kind. The figure had a slim build, but not frail. Underneath the hood and black tattered cape was red suit bodysuit, which was cut off at the arms, revealing the exposed skin to be well-built muscle. He had black and red combat boots. Underneath the cape was a small holster, which was currently empty as the figure held the weapon in his hands.

"Long time no see, eh Taupe?" He says with a small chuckle.

"You almost shot me!" Taupe yells indignantly.

"Oh quit whining. You're alive aren't you?"

The figure says and cocks his rifle before firing a round into the leader making sure he's dead.

"Yes...thank you, Lace," Taupe says.

The figure removes his hood and reveals a young male with lace pink hair and one silver and gold eye. Also, on top of his head is a pair of black bear ears. This is Lace Soulton. Friend and teammate to Taupe.

"I take it this isn't a friendly visit?" Lace says softly.

"Sadly no, is there somewhere we may go to discuss this in private?" Taupe asks

"Follow me," Lace says leading his friend to his home.

* * *

 _ **Forever Fall**_

The first years were currently walking through the forest. Professor Goodwitch was guiding the students while they were All the trees were red and countless leaves fell from them slowly. Most of the students were transfixed by its beauty, however, it had a different effect on Warden. The deep red, the rustling of the leaves, it reminded him greatly of a dark day. A brief flash of a memory crossed the Knight's vision, around him fire surged, debris collapsing, and through it, he saw Knights wearing black armor executing his godfather, Xanther.

That day still haunts Warden, the feeling of helplessness as his last remaining family member was cut down, and he couldn't do anything but run. The teen closed his eyes, trying to steel his emotions, but it was difficult. He was broke out of his thoughts by the voice of Glynda.

"Yes students, the Forest of Forever Fall is indeed beautiful. But we are not here to sight-see. Professor Peaches asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep inside this forest. And I'm here to make sure that none of you die while doing so," She came to a halt forcing the students to stop and Jaune, who was carrying a suitcase and seven bottles, to bump into Cardin, "Each of you is to gather one jar's worth of red sap; however, this forest is full of the creatures of Grimm, so be sure to stay by your teammates. We will rendezvous back here at four o'clock. Have fun!"

Cardin smirked and quickly grabbed a hold of Jaune, "Come on, buddy! Let's go."

Jaune looks down for a moment then to his team who was heading in the opposite direction. Pyrrha stopped for a moment and exchange looks with Jaune. Jaune wanted to go with them, but couldn't since Cardin knows he secret. If he doesn't want the bully to tell Goodwitch about his secret, he must go along with him. He stared at the ground before heading off with Cardin as Pyrrha sigh.

Warden narrowed his eyes as he watched them go.

"Warden! Come on, what's the holdup?!" Ruby shouted, noticing that Warden was lagging behind.

"Be there in sec," he replied before jogging to catch up with his team. Once he caught up with them however, he cast another glance back in the direction Jaune and Team CRDL had gone. Warden was hopping that Jaune would finally stand up for what's right.

- _With Team CRDL-_

On top of a hill where Team CRDL was sitting around while Jaune collected the sap for them. They decided to have the blond knight do the work for him since he practically will do anything to keep his secret safe. Once he collected the sap, Jaune headed back to CRDL only to drop the jars and fall to the ground.

"Hey. Great work, Jauney boy. Now that wasn't too hard, was it?" Cardin said before standing up.

Jaune slowly raises himself and sniffle a little, "I think I'm allergic to this stuff..."

"Great, great great. So, Jaune, I bet you're asking yourself, why did my buddy Cardin ask me to collect seven jars of tree sap when there's five of us?"

"That is one of the many questions that I have asked myself today, yes."

"Well, come with me and you'll find out."

"Oh...," Jaune groaned.

The five peak their heads over the hilltop to see Team JNPR and Team RWWBY. The two groups were nearly done collecting their sap for Professor Peach except for Ren and Nora. Ren just finished filling his bottle and was about to do Nora's, but she quickly drank the entire thing. Ren got a little annoyed with her while she scratched the back of her head with an embarrassed smile.

"Cardin," Jaune turned to his left side, "what's going on?"

Cardin just glared down at the group, but his gaze was only focused on two certain individuals, "Payback."

Jaune instantly realize who he was referring to and slowly turn his at them, "Pyrrha... and Warden? What are you-?"

"That's right. Red-haired know-it-all thinks she so smart and that Faunus lover who think he's a hero", Cardin then reach for something behind and pulled out a box which had a large W on it and it was buzzing, "Alright, boys. Last night ol' Jaune here managed to round up an entire box of rapier wasps. And now, we're going put them to work."

Russel grabs Jaune's shoulder causing him to chuckle nervously.

"Now, according to one of the essays he wrote for me last week, these nasty things looove sweets. I'm thinking it's time we teach them a thing or two."

CRDL all got up leaving before took a hand that Cardin offered, only to receive a jar to the guts.

"And you're going to do it."

Jaune stared at the jar for a moment before to Team CRDL who all had devilish grins on their faces. He prepared himself to throw the sap, but stop as he stared at the smiling Pyrrha. His hand began to shake with hesitation. He was conflicted inside on what to do, should he throw the sap to save his position here at Beacon or don't do it? He didn't know what to do as his shakiness gotten worse.

"Do what?"

"Hit them with the sap! Either that, or I'll have a chat with Goodwitch, and you'll be on the first airship out of Beacon."

 _"Stop pretending to be a leader; start acting like one."_

Jaune blinked, swearing he heard Warden's voice. He shifts his gaze to the Knight, who was speaking with both Ruby and Yang; his words from last night echoed inside the Arc's mind. It started out softly, like a whisper in the back of his mind. But then, it became louder, and all throughout the conversation, one single word struck Jaune with intensity: Overcome.

After a moment of silence, his body slowly steeled himself and lowered his arms.

"No."

"What did you say?" Cardin demanded as his team started to glare at the blonde.

"I said... NO!" He threw the jar at Cardin's chest surprising the bullies. If he did this before he would be scared, but after Warden's talk, he finally had the courage to stand up for himself. But not just for him, for his team, his friends, "You're a bully, Cardin. You pick on the weak just to make you feel good, but no more. Say what you want to Goodwitch, I won't let you harm my team."

Cardin snickered as he shook his head, "Oh-ho-ho, you've done it now."

The bullies grab hold of Jaune as they began to beat him up, but Cardin did most of the beating. Cardin mocked him stating that he was going to send him back to mommy into teeny, tiny, pieces while his teammates just laugh. Jaune stared back at Cardin and told him to do what he wanted, but he won't harm his team. Cardin became piss at his tough guy act and aimed for his head, but the impact caused him to let go of Jaune and grasp his fist. Jaune look at his hands to see his aura glowing for a moment before being pushed to the ground.

Before they could continue, a loud roar entered the air and it belonged to an Ursa. The Grimm sniffed the air for a second until it caught wind of a particular scent of the tree sap. It noticed the sap on Cardin's armor causing his teammates to run away except Jaune. The Ursa smack him to the side and crawled towards him. Jaune watch as the Grimm knocked Cardin's mace out of his hands.

Back with Team RWWBY and JNPR, Warden was talking to his team before he felt something strange. He glimpsed over his shoulder to the direction to see RDL of Team CRDL running towards them along with a loud roar. Russel shouted that there was Ursa and it got Cardin.

Pyrrha then drop her jar as a result, "Jaune!"

"Yang!", Ruby shouted, "You and Blake, go get Professor Goodwitch."

"You two, go with them! There could be more" Pyrrha ordered her teammates as she along with Ruby, Weiss, and Warden unsheathed their weapons.

The two nodded and went after Blake and Yang.

Meanwhile, Cardin was running away from the Ursa. The Grimm jumped over him and smack him down.

"Crap, crap, crap!" Cardin attempted to crawl away.

The four arrive to witness the finishing blow to Cardin. They were about to thwart the Ursa's attack, but someone beat them to it. It was none other than Jaune. Warden, along with Pyrrha, noticed something different about him. He was no longer full of doubt, now he was full of confidence and courage. Weiss was about to intervene but was stopped when Warden placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Wait a second," said the Knight as he sheathed his sword, "Jaune needs to do this on his own."

Jaune pushed back the paw before taking a swing at the Ursa. The Grimm recovered and attacked the knight. Jaune rolled to the side to dodge the first strike then jump over the second, but the third strike hit him. Jaune rolled backwards for a second before getting back up and charge at it. The Ursa smack him down to the ground in midair. This did not stop Jaune from getting back up and stood tall.

"There you go, Jaune," said Warden to himself, a proud grin forming on his face.

aune look at his Scroll to see his Aura was in the red zone, he needed to end this battle now. He charged at the Ursa while it did the same. Pyrrha noticed the raise paw and decided to intervene. She lifted her hand as a black Aura surrounded it along with Jaune's shield, raising up enough to block the blow. Jaune withstood the impact and pushed it aside to slice off the Ursa's head.

Pyrrha lowered her hand and smiled while Ruby was completely confused about what has transpired, "Uh, what?"

"How did you..."

"Well, Ruby has her Speed, you have your Glyphs, my semblance is Polarity."

"Ah, you can control poles."

"No, you dunce! It means she has control over magnetism" Weiss explained to her partner.

"Magnets are cool, too."

Weiss noticed Pyrrha turning around, "Wait, where are you going?"

"Yeah, we gotta tell them what happened" Ruby added.

"We could", she turned to her partner with a smile, "or, perhaps, we could just keep it our little secret."

Ruby and Weiss both nodded and smiled in agreement while Warden chuckled as he gave his own nod. With the collective agreement, they turned their attention to Jaune who was helping Cardin up. He told Cardin never to mess with his friends ever again with a serious tone. The bully just stared at him and reluctantly agreed to his terms. Jaune then left him behind to go back to his team.

"You might have what it takes to be a Knight, after all, Jaune," said Warden to himself, watching the blonde leave, "maybe even a Warden."

He was about to follow his team, who was already heading back with Team JNPR, but before he left, something caught his attention. A faint flicker of orange and black. Looking around, Warden raised his hand to Fulmine, ready to defend himself against whatever it was should it be dangerous. His instincts were already on edge, with the more than recent Ursa attack, but this was something different, in fact, it almost felt worse.

Looking around some more, Warden froze in place as he heard the soft clanking of armor plates. Looking in one direction, he saw the source of the noise. Standing on top of a hill, red leaves fluttering around his body, a Knight, wearing black and orange armor stood silently, the empty slits that served to allow him or her to see peered down at Warden. Several armored plates acted as shoulder pauldrons, protecting the Knight's shoulders, while chain mail covered the torso. Strapped across the chest was a leather belt that had three armor plates overlapping each other position where the heart would be.

Armor covered his arms, with a chain mail underneath to prevent restricted movement. Tightly gripped in the right hand was the handle of a longsword, about five feet in length, an ornate guard, but from his distance, Warden couldn't tell what the pattern was. A thick belt was strapped around the waist, holding up an orange and black cama, similar to Warden's but this one had Three orange stripes, one thick stripe with two parallel thinner orange stripes next to it. Legs were protected by black armor boots, that seemed more like grieves but didn't have any sharp points to suggest that. However, what really caught the teen's attention was the Knight's helmet. Right wear the mouth would be, the helmet had an orange painted mouth or bone of a human skull. It didn't have the whole skull; just the nose and mouth.

"Who are you?" asked Warden, keeping his hand on Fulmine's handle, preparing for the worst. The Knight said nothing, but that made it no less intimidating, in fact, Warden swore he had seen this Knight from somewhere before.

"Warden?"

The teen looked away from the Knight to see Blake and Yang, each held a look of concern on their face. If the concern was for Warden's hand on Fulmine's grip or the haunted look in his eyes, it could be either or both. The two were about fifty feet away, heading towards him, and at this distance, they couldn't really be certain if what they saw was true. However, they didn't get to look at his face for long as Warden turned back to the same hill, only to find the Knight had vanished almost like it had never been there.

The Knight let go of his weapon, though as he was turning, he felt something hard knock against his boot. Looking down, he saw a small medallion sitting in the leaves, but standing out completely. The medallion was completely black, almost like the fur of the Grimm. It was a small stone sphere, held inside of a silver ring connected to a black chain necklace. Bending down, Warden picked up the medallion by the chain and turned it over. On the opposite side was a somewhat haunting symbol. On the medallion, a sword was dividing half a human skull and half of a Knight's helmet.

That symbol...

He had seen it somewhere before...

"Hey, Warden?" called out Yang, she and Blake had covered the distance between them and Warden.

The sole male member of Team RWWBY looked up, but carefully placed the medallion in his pocket, "Hey, you two."

The two got closer to him and took their places by his side. It was quiet for a few seconds before Blake asked a question.

"Warden, are you okay? You seem a little off."

"And trust me, coming from Blake, that's saying something," Yang teased, trying to help lighten up the mood only to receive a glare from her partner.

Warden looked back at the place where the Knight once stood, the leaves were falling, but in contrast to the black and orange armor, it was almost like the Knight was still there. Conflict battled within Warden as he struggled to decide if he should tell them what's bothering him right now. One side said that he was just fine, but the other side said that he should tell them. Lying was something Warden did not enjoy, but he also really didn't enjoy people getting hurt because of his mistakes. But, they were his team, and they deserved to know what was bothering him.

So with a long sigh, Warden decided to answer them, "Just remembering something from my past, is all."

Blake rested a hand on his shoulder, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not at the moment," he replied a brief moment after Blake had asked, "It's just, seeing how Jaune had been ignoring his team, reminded me of my old one, about a mistake I made."

"Is this what Weiss was talking about?" asked Yang, Warden looked up sharply, his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. She didn't tell them, did she?

"Weiss didn't say what happened, said it wasn't her place," added Blake, noticing the glare he had.

The glare faded, as Warden seemed to somewhat relax, "The mistake I made can be somewhat similar to Jaune's case, about ignoring his team."

"Well, maybe you can save yourself from getting some grey hair and talk to us about it," joked Yang a little. Blake just slapped herself in the face at her partner's antics and wonder if she truly understands the situation.

"It wasn't that easy to talk to Weiss about, and after looking back at my decision and comparing it to Jaune's, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with talking about it right now," Warden slid his hand into his pocket, his fingers curling around the medallion. A brief memory flashed before his eyes, the Knight that he just saw and the day Xanther was killed. His eyes opened up as he felt one hand rest on his shoulder, and another take his hand that wasn't in his pocket.

"Warden, you know if anything is bothering you, we'll be there to help," assured Blake.

"Yeah," agreed Yang, "When you want to talk, just let us know. I'm sure Weiss would be willing to help and I can say for certain that Ruby would want to also."

The Knight looked at the two of them for a moment, before he smiled, but he couldn't resist making a joke, "I gotta say, I never got this much help from my old team."

Blake rolled her eyes, though couldn't stop a small smile of her own from forming, whereas Yang openly giggled, "What, didn't they treat you like a Knight in shining armor?"

"Oh they did," chuckled Warden, recalling one of his fonder memories of Team IRWN, "which is why they kicked my ass whenever I got ahead of myself."

Yang laughed while Blake just shook her head, "Let's head back."

With that, the three began their journey back to the Bullhead, Mrs. Goodwitch, and the two other members of Team RWWBY. Despite his spirit being raised, Warden couldn't help but let his mind wander back to the Knight he just saw.

* * *

 _ **Beacon Academy, Rooftop Balcony**_

Later that night, Jaune was standing alone on the roof overlooking the school when a voice broke the silence.

"No Cardin tonight? I thought you two were-" began Pyrrha.

"Pyrrha I'm sorry," he blurted out. She stayed silent as he continued, "I've been a really crappy friend to you lately and I deserve it. All you wanted to do was help and I threw that in your face. I let all this dumb macho stuff get in my head and I lashed out at you, and you don't deserve that and then I let Cardin and the others use me and-" He stopped himself so he could regain his train of thought without rambling, "What I'm trying to say, and I understand if you say no... is... will you forgive me, and help me get to be a better fighter?"

Her face was blank as she headed right toward Jaune, easily closing the distance between them. Jaune flinched and closed his eyes, expecting her to hit him. Instead, she shoved him to the ground.

"Hey! What was that for?" he said indignantly.

"Your stance is all wrong," she replied simply, arms crossed. Confusion swept over his face, "You need to widen your feet and crouch lower to the ground, to strengthen your center of gravity," she lectured.

It dawned on him. "Wait, does this mean...?"

Her features softened into a smile as she leaned down, hand outstretched for him to take.

"Let's start first thing in the morning."

* * *

 ** _Outskirts of Forever Fall Forest_**

Were these children supposed to be the next generation of Huntsmen and Huntresses?

A snort of disgust escaped a figure that was watching the academy from the edge of the forest. Being outside, in a heavily Grimm infested forest alone may sound like the Knight had a death wish, but strangely, any Grimm that was encountered amazingly shrunk underneath the piercing gaze of the Knight. Almost as if the creatures _feared_ the Knight. It was not unheard of that some Grimm would retreat from more powerful and dangerous creatures, but only rarely does it happen to a Huntsman or Huntress.

Huntsmen and Huntresses.

These _defenders_ that replaced them were already a step down from their ranks and level of skill, power, and prowess, but this was just pathetic. The Knight stood silent, observing the Academy, in his hand was a set of electronic binoculars, his attention focused on the Mistral Champion and the latest child to bear the name Arc. The Knight was willing to admit, the Arc's held to tradition, but they have strayed far from the code and the Legions. As for the Champion, her skill and combat prowess were impressive, but her caring nature removed her from the ranks of true warriors.

However, neither of them had the Knight's attention. Rather, the boy with silver eyes peaked his interest and the interest of his master.

Any more thoughts were interrupted when a faint buzzing came from the Knight's pocket. Slipping the binoculars into his pocket, the Knight reached down into another and retrieved a small disk. Pressing a button on the side, a red glow illuminated the Knight's helmet, bathing it in a hellish red glow.

 _"What do you have to report?"_ asked grave voice, aged but held a feeling of authority so powerful that some Grimm, watching the Knight curiously, but cautiously actually flinched underneath the power of the voice.

"The boy is here, at Beacon," reported the Knight.

 _"And?"_

"He has joined a new team of future Huntresses and-"

 _"If the boy wishes to weaken himself by joining lesser warriors, I fail to see the danger or importance behind it, Ademar,"_ cut off the voice.

Ademar tightened his grip on the handle of his sword. If the heir to his master was so quick to write off Warden Allister as weak, then perhaps this may spike his attention.

"One of the Huntresses have silver eyes, similar to the boy's."

Silence filled the air, the speaker seemingly contemplating this new information. It is one thing to find a Silver Eyed Warrior, but two? This changes things drastically.

 _"Has he or the girl discovered their power?"_

"If they have, then they haven't made it know."

 _"This lack of information is troubling. We cannot be taken by surprise,"_ stated the voice, _"Do whatever is necessary to uncover if the boy or the girl has unlocked their potential. Fight them if you have to. But they cannot be allowed to proceed should they prove to be a threat."_

"Understood."

 _ **To Be Continued.**_


	7. Chapter 7 Team Building, Knight Breaking

_**And here we are, chapter 7. As some of you may have noticed, the Knight from the previous chapter is going to be fighting either Ruby or Warden. But, for those of you who are extremely familiar with the For Honor universe, you might notice that the Knight is also the same one that you fight a duel within the first mission as the Knights. I'll try to give some form of personality to Ademar, but looking at the Wiki page, it literally says there isn't a lot known about him. So, mainly just spitballing and figuring out what seems to fit.**_

 ** _I'm going to include an ability found in For Honor for Warden, cause it was widely used throughout the game, and has saved me many times._**

 _ **Also, I'll be going into further depth of the For Honor universe. Warden's gonna do some digging and see if there is some connection. But, enough of that, I don't want to spoil the entire chapter.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own For Honor or RWBY. It would be awesome if I did, but since I don't, I'll have to settle for this.**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 7: Team Building, Knight Breaking**_

 _ **Team RWWBY's Dorm**_

The weekend had started off quite nicely for the five-member team of RWWBY. They used the first day of the weekend to get their project's final parts out of the way and Jaune was reconnecting with his team. Things seemed to go a little bit better around Beacon. But, nothing is simple, especially for one student who used the start of the day to its fullest. Warden was trying to figure out that Knight he saw in Forever Fall.

It wasn't the Knight entirely that had Warden's attention, but rather the Medallion as well. The symbol, it just seemed so familiar. He knew he had seen it before. He swore he did. He just couldn't remember where.

So this left him with one option: go to the Library and dig through every book he could find that had some knowledge, anything about the world before the Huntsman. The Knight looked almost exactly like a Warden from the Iron Legion. If there was some sort of connection, it might be in history. Some people might think he's obsessing over it, and some might be right, but Warden wasn't looking for information for the sake of it. He needed to scratch this itch.

However, this led him to be a little more withdrawn from his team. As the female members of Team RWWBY were in their pajamas, having just woke up to start the day and were relaxing while Warden was in the library, having gotten up earlier than the ladies. Yang was busy listening to some music from her Scroll, Blake was reading one of her books, Weiss was brushing her hair, and Ruby was writing a letter. Ruby stopped writing and place the pencil down as she sighs softly. Yang heard her sister sigh and turn off the music catching Blake and Weiss's attention.

"What's the matter, little sis?" asked Yang, noticing Ruby's despondent expression.

"Well, remember back on Thursday, when we talked about Warden?" recalled the reaper, the blonde nodding, "Well, it's just... do we really know Warden that well, aside from what he's already told us?"

Blake closed her book and look at her leader, "What do you mean?"

She wasn't going to lie, Ruby brought up a valid point. Sure, they know basic details about Warden, but nothing really defining. He was raised by his godfather, went to Vacuo, he's an old friend of Pyrrha, and he made a mistake that got his team hurt. Weiss had given them the cliff notes version of what happened to Warden's team, leaving out specific details, saying that it was Warden's place to tell, not hers.

"I mean, we know he's smart, strong, a good thinker, brave, loyal, and he's not afraid of what people think of him," listed Ruby, recalling all the most defining details of Warden, "but what else do we know about him? Or better yet, when was the last time we did anything to just relax together, just the five of us?"

Weiss, Blake, and Yang all took a moment to think, and really, they didn't have that much. Warden was pretty quiet but completely unafraid to voice his own opinion should he feel it necessary. And sometimes during their free time, Warden would either be training in the amphitheater, studying in the library, and when he was with the team, he would focus on the concerns of his team and not really talk about himself. In all honesty, the most time they spend with him is in class. Aside from what they already knew, they pretty much have nothing on Warden.

"I got nothing," shrugged Yang.

"Neither do I," added Blake.

"Same," answered Weiss.

"Exactly!" announced Ruby, "And yes, we know Warden doesn't like to talk about his past, but can't he tell us something he is comfortable with?"

The three looked at each other for a moment, they all knew something happened to Warden and his team, something that he blames himself for. He didn't have to tell them what happened, well, he didn't have to tell Blake, Yang, and Ruby since Weiss already knew, but couldn't he tell them something he was comfortable with? It's not he'll just sit down and talk with them, he usually needs to be doing something, which gave Yang an idea.

"I got an idea," said Yang, a mischevious smile forming.

"What are you suggesting, Yang?" asked Blake, not entirely following what he partner had in mind.

"I'm suggesting that we all head down to Vale as a team," elaborated the blonde brawler, "that way, we can get Warden to open up a little more and not just vanish."

"But Warden is notorious for changing the topic of a conversation that is about him to something else," pointed out Weiss.

"Trust me, if anyone can get Warden to talk about himself, it's me," assured Yang, a wide grin on her face as she had a few ideas on how to get Warden to open up.

"Alright, then it's settled!" said Ruby happily, finally getting the chance to get to know Warden better, "everyone, get dressed, we're heading to Vale and Warden's coming with us."

"First we have to find him," interjected Weiss, knowing that Warden had woken up earlier than them.

"I think he might be in the library," suggested Blake.

With their, probable, destination in mind, the girls all began getting dressed. Once they were, they all left their dorm room and made a beeline for the library. Each one was wearing their regular attire since it was something they were all comfortable in. But as they were heading to the library, the few students who were up in the morning were all actual making quick progress to the amphitheater. Something that peaked the interest of the girls.

"Where's everyone going?" asked Ruby, breaking away from her destination of the library and decided to see what the commotion was.

"Ruby!" called Weiss, noticing her leader had strayed away. She rolled her eyes. Seriously, couldn't she keep focused on the task at hand?

Blake and Yang glanced back to see Weiss following Ruby to the amphitheater. Looking at each other, they shrugged before following the Ice Queen and Ruby.

* * *

 _ **Beacon Academy, Amphitheater**_

The amphitheater was absolutely bustling with students or the ones who bothered to wake up at this time. Many of them were planning on hanging out with friends, others just to relax and sleep the weekend away, and for the serious students, time to study for some tests, get homework done, and just plan ahead. But that all changed when Warden came into the amphitheater.

A rumor had emerged that he was looking for something in the library, and spent a good four hours going through the oldest books or practically every history textbook that was available, looking for something. Spending a few hours and getting no result could be frustrating, and apparently, the Knight doesn't exactly enjoy wasting time for a lost cause. Don't get him wrong, he loves to relax, but when time and effort is wasted looking for something that wasn't even there to begin with, really ticks him off.

So to blow off some steam, he went to the amphitheater to practice some hand-to-hand combat training. After getting Professor Goodwitch's permission of course. Xanther always had a saying: _'If you get the chance to add a tool to the toolbox, you take it, but don't let it change who you are.'_ Words to live by and Warden had gladly taken them to heart.

So here he was, Warden Allister; spending four hours looking in the library, searching almost every reference, every detail regarding the world before the Huntsmen, and he found nothing. He needed to blow off some steam. Despite coming here this early in the morning, the sizeable crowd of students went unnoticed by the teen. Surprisingly, a few teachers had come down to see what the commotion was. With such a crowd, he failed to notice four girls make their way to the front of the pack to see him circling in a boxing ring with a lumbering sparing drone.

Ruby, when she made it to the front, widened her eyes when she saw Warden squaring off against the drone. Against her will, a light blush began to form as she immediately noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt, revealing his hard chest muscles, torso, and the faint beginnings of a six-pack. Black sweatpants, with a gold stripe down the side, clung to his legs, while some white tape was wrapped around his knuckles and forearms. Black laced shoes stepped lightly on the ground as Warden kept himself moving. From where Ruby was standing, she could see a small shine glossing his chest and arms, meaning he had been training for a little while.

The drone Warden was fighting was an old Altlesian Knight. A prototype that was used mainly by the military to train new recruits before the official Knights were created. Though one thing did peak Ruby's curiosity, why didn't Warden have Fulmine? Was he...?

"Ruby!" snapped Weiss, bringing Ruby out of her thoughts. The young reaper looked back to see the Heiress make it to the front, "We're supposed to be looking for Warden, not wasting time wandering off."

"Not that it would matter, because look right up there, Ice Queen," quipped Yang as she and Blake joined the two up front. Weiss narrowed her eyes, she absolutely hated that nickname, though she humored the blonde and directed to the ring to see the person they were searching for.

 _"Sparring drone Combat Level 12: Begin,"_ announced the automated system.

With that, Warden and the sparring drone approached each other. It was clear that the drone was much larger than the Knight, standing at 6 feet, four inches, but Warden was not daunted. Once they were within arms reach, the fight began.

The combat drone pulled it's right arm back and threw a brutal right hook, but Warden underneath the blow, narrowly dodging it. But the machine was far from letting it up as it suddenly made a left uppercut, grazing Warden's shoulder.

The drone pressed its advantage, swinging a straight right at the Knight's dome, but Warden got his arms up and blocked the punch. Pulling its right fist back again, it punched him in the stomach. Warden took the hit in stride and was able to lean back fast enough to dodge a surprise left uppercut.

"What's Warden doing?" asked Blake, not entirely certain why he was fighting the drone.

"Beats me," commented Yang as she watched with interest. Being a fist fighter herself, the blonde brawler was curious to see if the Knight could go fist to fist without his sword, "I just wanna see a fight."

And a fight they were going to get as the drone moved in.

The sparring drone got in range and threw two rights, but Warden ducked under both. The machine then threw a left haymaker which was dodged by the Knight who retaliated with a light punch followed by a left cross. The drone was fast enough to raise its thick arms to block the punch before leaning back to avoid a right cross. It then ducked under a left hook before throwing a right hook. Warden ducked underneath the punch and raised his arms to block two straight lefts.

With an opening, the teen sent two left hooks, striking the sparring drones shoulder and chest, but the attacks barely seemed to faze the machine. Warden went for another left, however, his attack was parried by the drones right arm, leaving him vulnerable to a harsh counter to his chest. Warden grunted as the drone gave a surprise uppercut, striking the Knight in the dome. Pressing its advantage, the drone swung another punch, hitting Warden in the chest again before throwing a brutal right hook that collided with the teen's dome. There was a distinct crack, not like that of bone breaking, but the sound of a fist colliding with flesh.

The students let out a collected 'ooohhh' wincing slightly as they saw Warden stumble slightly from the force of the punch.

"That drone fights similar to you, Yang," noted Weiss as she saw the fighting style of the sparring bot reflected Yang's own.

"Yeah," agreed with the brawler, making a mental note that if Warden wins, to challenge him to a good old-fashioned fistfight.

As the girls spoke the drone prepared another strike, which was strange since the distance between it and Warden was well over eight feet. That's when it threw the punch, its feet seemingly gliding across the floor towards Warden, it's right arm outstretched. When the first collided with Warden, the Knight was knocked off his feet and sailed into one of the posts holding up the straps of the ring. Warden grunted in pain as his back crashed into the metal pole. He was seriously rusty.

But he couldn't focus on his level of skill as the drone moved in to corner the Knight. Being backed into a corner in a boxing ring is sometimes referred to as a suicide corner. Once there, the drone landed to brutal punches to Warden's stomach, the teen taking the hits in stride. Changing targets, the drone began smashing its fists into Warden's raised arms, trying to break his defense and punch the teen's dome. Seeing that it was going to break through, it went back to slugging his stomach, landing two devasting rights.

"Come on, Warden!" cheered Ruby, although quietly as she still feels awkward around large groups of people.

As if hearing her, Warden sprung into action. When the drone pulled its right fist back to strike at his dome, Warden ducked underneath the strike and slipped underneath the arm, leaving the drone to punch the metal pole. Losing its target, the drone looked behind to see Warden flying right towards it, his right fist outstretched. The blow collided with the drone's chest and a resonating clang echoed through the amphitheater as the students watching cheered as they saw Warden turn the fight around. The blow actually caused the sparring drone to collide with the metal pole in a similar way it had done with the Knight.

"Yeah, get him!" cheered Yang.

Moving in close, Warden began landing a flurry of punches, two slamming into the machine's faceplate, three pummeling its sides and abdomen. A quick jab to the chest followed up by two more blows to the faceplate. Warden knew the drone would recover, which is why he quickly jumped back, leaving the drone to swing a right uppercut into the air before trying to follow it up with an unusual punch that involved the drone turning its left shoulder back and swing its right fist down as hard as possible. There was actually a gust of wind when the blow was swung, but Warden dodged it all the same.

Now that he was out of reach, Warden charged back in, leaping up into the air and slugging the drone with a brutal right hook. The blow actually knocked the drone down to the floor, the students cheered, not really caring if Warden wanted the attention or not. It was like one of the fights they usually have in Professor Goodwitch's class, where they used semblances, fancy weapons, and ridiculous speed; this was just a good old-fashioned brawl.

And the fight would continue.

Rising to its feet, the drone turned to face Warden who was circling the drone as it recovered. Without another word, they approached each other. Starting the new match quick, Warden sent to punches to the drone's faceplate, but both punches were blocked by its chunky arms. In retaliation, the drone swung at him, but he dodged one punch and the other that followed quickly afterward. Using his smaller size to his advantage, Warden landed to rights to the drone's side, before snapping his left fist out, smashing his fist into what would be the jaw bone of a human or Faunus. Warden quickly leaned back to let a heavy right swing by his head then ducked under a left, before countering with a left to the drone's side and a right to its shoulder.

The drone, in a more or less desperate attempt, swung its right fist out, only to miss as Warden ducked underneath the blow but added a quick spin to it. Spinning counter-clockwise, Warden was able to add more momentum to his punch which collided with the chest and followed up with a quick left jab. In an attempt of retaliation, the drone made a left hook but missed again as Warden leaned to his left. With no time to properly defend itself, the drone took two uppercuts, two clangs echoed through the amphitheater.

Using this moment, Warden jumped back out of the drone's reach, but then quickly rushed back in. This may have been a poor decision, as the drone lashed out both arms, grabbing a hold of Warden's shoulder holding him in pace. With nowhere to go, Waren was forced to take a headbutt from the drone, a metallic echo burst through the amphitheater, many students winced when they saw the move. But the drone was not finished yet as it slammed its left foot down onto Warden's own, keeping him in place while it pulled its left fist back all the way before landing a monstrous left hook. The blow actually caused Warden to flip through the air, pulling his foot out from the drone's and crash to the ground.

"That was a cheap move," commented Weiss, though she had an inkling that Warden purposefully had that feature added.

Despite the heavy impact, Warden was back on his feet. He had to make sure he was ready for anything. An opponent in the real world would not fight fair, so he had to be ready for whatever they might try. Raising his fists, he gestured for the drone to come at him.

Pulling its left fist back, it performed that same gliding punch it had used to knock Warden into the pole. But the Knight had learned from that experience. Diving forward in a combat roll Warden stretched his arms out and caught the drone's waist. Spinning around, he lifted the metal body into the air and then proceeded to slam it into the ground. He actually put enough force into the throw that it caused the drone to bounce in the air. Using this, Warden spun around and kicked the drone further into the air before leaping up and punching the drone back to the floor.

The drone managed to land on its, feet by maneuvering its body in a way that would allow that. Quickly throwing a straight left, only for the drone to hook its left arm around Warden's. Moving in, the drone smashed its shoulder into Warden's chest, knocking him into the air. Landing on the ground, the drone performed a left uppercut, knocking Warden back into the air. Keeping close, the drone kept throwing punches, each one knocking Warden back and also keeping him in the air. Pulling its right shoulder back, the drone went in for a monstrous Turn Punch. As the fist closed in on the Knight, Warden managed to maneuver himself in the air so that he avoided the blow. Quickly flipping himself around, Warden threw a straight left that knocked the drone back.

Landing on the ground, he charged right towards the drone, jumping up with his left fist pulled back and landed a hard blow directly to the drone's chest. If you were watching carefully, you could see a faint gold aura shimmer as Warden's fist passed through the air. Guess he needed to use his aura to finish this fight.

With the drone unbalanced, he moved in, throwing a quick right jab, that was blocked by the drone. However, this was just a feint so that Warden could punch the drone right in the stomach. Following up, he slammed his left fist into the stomach again before landing a right directly after, then quickly jab the drone in the face. Attempting to retaliate, the drone threw a right hook, which Warden ducked under before leaning to his left to allow a left uppercut to pass by. Using this opportunity, Warden jabbed the drone in its shoulder and followed up with a left to its stomach.

Quickly, he landed several blows to the stomach, some of which were blocked by the drone, before finishing with a right uppercut that caused its head to snap up. Taking a moment to backup, Warden broke off his offense and began evading powerful blows from the drone. The sparring drone alternated between swinging punches and backhands in hopes of landing a blow on Warden. However, each attack was skillfully dodged by the Knight who was using his small size and greater speed to his advantage.

After a moment to recover, Warden pulled his left fist back, for the first time during his fight, he enhanced one of his punches with his aura. A golden light enveloped his fist as he prepared to slug the drone. However, before the blow could land, the drone swung its left arm down low, sweeping Warden's legs out from underneath him. Suspended in the air for only a second, the drone landed a massive uppercut due to its lowered stance from the leg sweep. The blow connected with Warden's chest and sent him tumbling through the air. Landing on his back, everyone could hear a distinct clunk of Warden's body hitting the ring floor.

Stomping towards the downed teen, the drone raised its right foot above him and brought it down. Warden was just fast enough to roll to the side to avoid the impact. Said impact actual shook the ground slightly. If the audience closest to the ring bounced for a second was any indication. Getting back to his feet, Warden ran right towards the drone, the machine following suit. Pulling his right fist back, golden aura enveloped his hand again, except this time, the fist was heading right for the drone's own fist. The two blows collided with one another, creating a massive shockwave. The shockwave actually broke the ropes and poles off the ring and the ground cracked from the shockwave.

The audience felt the shockwave, their casual clothing flailed in the air like a gust of wind suddenly blew into them. However, the fight would still go on.

Metallic fists met aura enhanced ones as Warden and the drone clashed with each other. While the drone was pulling its fist back, Warden landed a quick right jab to the stomach. In retaliation, the drone threw its right fist, while the teen met it with an aura enhanced left. Another shockwave erupted, cracking the ground further. Changing target for a second, the drone landed two blows to Warden's side, but he took them in stride before leaning back to dodge a right uppercut. Pulling his left fist back again, Warden threw his enhanced punch towards the drone, meeting its own left fist in the third shockwave. So much for the simple fist fight.

The two collided blows again before both pulled back their right fists and collided with one another that resulted in the largest shockwave throughout the fight. The force of this one actually caused Warden and the drone to slide back from each other. Each fighter prepared their form of a gliding punch, the drone simply pulling its right fist back while Warden enhanced his left with his aura. It seemed like the audience was going to get another blast of wind sent at them, courtesy of another shockwave, but they were all taken by surprise by what happened next.

The drone, instead of meeting Warden's blow, suddenly sidestepped his punch. With no time to dodge, the Knight could only take the brutal punches sent his way. Four punches were landed, then pulling its left fist back all the way, the drone connected a massive left hook to Warden's doom. Everything turned black for a second for the Knight as he fell through the air and landed on his stomach, not even catching his fall. The student body cheered on like an actual crowd would do during a fight between two professional boxers. However, Team RWWBY, especially Ruby, could wait with baited breath for the teen to get up.

"Please, get up Warden," begged Ruby, really wanting Warden to stand up, but mainly so she wouldn't worry that he was hurt.

As if answering her, Warden, shakily, got his hands underneath his body and slowly began to push himself up. Looking up, everyone could see the extent of the damage created by the blow. Warden's cheek had been completely bruised, a little bit of blood trickled down from his nose. However, he wasn't down yet and his aura had already set to work repairing the damage.

The drone, which had been stationary up until this point began to move in, preparing to end the fight. But before it could land a punch, Warden smacked his fist into the floor as aura flowed through his arms. In a second, he was back on his feet.

The sparring drone, which had broken off its attack to reassess the change in its opponent's behavior, now went on the attack. It went in for a turn punch, but Warden easily dodged the attack before jumping in its guard. Once there, Warden landed several harsh punches, each one dented the metal; now the Knight was using his aura. Quickly jumping back, Warden charged back in, landing a flurry of more blows, then jumped out again, then back. Blow after blow was landed, all the while the drone was helpless to defend itself. In a futile attempt, the drone threw a straight right towards Warden's head, but missed when the Knight ducked right under the blow and, in a quick but powerful strike, he punched the drone in its shoulder.

The right arm was nearly broken off as a result of the punch. With only one good arm, the drone stood no chance as Warden rained down dozens of punches. The faceplate soon became heavily warped, the metal not meant to withstand a constant barrage of aura enhanced punches. Letting up for only a moment, Warden directed more of his aura into his fist, the appendage glowing brightly, he sent a massive uppercut that actually snapped the drone's head off.

The heavily damaged component flew through the air, before landing with a metallic clank on the floor before it rolled in front of the crowd. Silence filled the amphitheater. However, everyone could come to one single word that described what happened: Damn.

"Don't you lot have a weekend to enjoy?" asked Warden rhetorically, not even bothering to look since he knew that people were there.

Soon the students and teachers began to leave, excluding Team RWWBY who now had the chance to speak with their teammate. Warden had gone over to the side of the amphitheater to retrieve a towel when he heard the footsteps of four people approaching. Looking up, he saw Ruby, Weiss, Yang, and Blake approaching, "I take it you saw that?"

"We did," answered Weiss, keeping a calm tone despite the temptation to look at his chiseled muscles.

"And I can say, that you owe me a fight," cut in Yang, who was sporting a big grin.

"I'll be sure to remember that," replied Warden with a chuckle, "so what are you guys doing here?"

"We decided to spend the day in Vale, which means you're coming to," picked up Weiss, sending Yang a slight glare for cutting her off.

"How come?"

"We haven't done anything fun as a team with you yet. Sure, we eat together with Jaune and his team now that their back together, and work together in class, but whenever Team RWWBY tries to do something, you don't really seem to include yourself," Ruby explained sounding a little pout at the end.

"Ah, I understand," began Warden, "I know I haven't been spending time with you, not because I want to be alone, but because I've just gotten used to it when I traveled here. There's nothing harder to break than a bad habit."

This wasn't entirely true, while it was true that he had grown accustomed to being alone as he traveled across the continent to Vale, it was also because he didn't believe he was ready to have another family. But, that would make him pretty hypocritical considering how he told Jaune that his team needs him. But he had to come to terms sooner or later, so maybe hanging out with his new team might help.

"So when do we leave?" he asked, now coming to a decision.

"As soon as you had a shower and washed up," Blake suggested as she could practically smell the sweat coming off of him.

"Right," sighed Warden as he noticed that he did smell like sweat, "I'll see you in a minute."

With the decision made to visit Vale, Team RWWBY agreed to meet at the landing area for the Bullhead that would take them to Vale. It would be good to finally come to terms with his ghosts, but Warden still wasn't sure about telling them all about what happened to his original team. Despite them not blaming him, Warden couldn't help but still blame himself. A Knight is supposed to humble and certain in their abilities and the abilities of their allies, he let the praise of his teachers and peers get to him and his team paid the price for his pride. Lost in his mind, Warden accidentally bumped into someone as he was heading back to his Team's room.

"Oh, excuse me," apologized Warden as he looked up at the person he walked into.

"No need to apologize," said an accented voice. The person that he bumped into actually had Warden take a second to figure out if he was a huntsman or not.

In front of him was person who stood six feet in height, with a slim but agile build/ Black long hair tied in a braid hung out from underneath the straw hat. Wearing a Shitagi with Hakama pants tied off at the end by greaves. The Shitagi was colored grey with some lime green patterns, resembling a bamboo forest. The Hakama pants were mainly grey as well but held some lime green coloring. The person also wore a pair of wooden sandals. On top of the stranger's head was a worn down straw Kasa, a portion of it breaking off as a result of that wear. But the most notable feature was the Panda ears poking up through the hat, giving away that the stranger was not human, but a Faunus.

But, while the figure had a pair of Wakizashis, the true weapons that were used were a pair of Katanas sheathed in a cross fashion over the back. The weapons may have looked like regular swords, they could also function as snake swords, extending to around twelve feet. The person was not a Huntsman, but he was damn near as skilled as one.

The Kasa was angled down, covering the stranger's eyes. However, looking up ever so slightly, the person seemed to be looking in the direction of Vale. But it wouldn't do much good. With the person's face now revealed, you could tell that the person was a male Faunus, with a black goatee. However, over the eyes was a set of bandages.

"You okay there, Taupe?" asked another person. Looking to the right, Warden saw the owner. It was another Faunus, a male and from the ears that poked up through the pink hair, was a bear, but he had a slim build, but not frail. A black tattered cape hung from his shoulders while the hood was pulled back. Underneath the cape was a red bodysuit, which was cut off at the arms, revealing the exposed skin to be well-built muscle. He had black and red combat boots. Underneath the cape was a small holster, which held an unusual weapon if Warden had ever seen one.

"I'm quite alright," responded Taupe, "just bumped into a student is all."

"More like I bumped into him since I wasn't paying attention to where I was going," he interjected, taking responsibility for the collision since he knew it was mainly his fault.

"You're a student here, correct?" asked Taupe, to which Warden nodded yes, "You wouldn't happen to know where Professor Ozpin is at this moment? We have a meeting with him."

"If I had to guess, your best bet would be to go to his office or one of the observation balconies," replied the Knight.

"Thank you," thanked the Panda Faunus with a bow while Lace just nodded as he and his friend left.

With their encounter done, Warden began to head for his team's dorm room. However, he couldn't tell if it was just his nerves or not, but he had a feeling that he would see those two more often. But that wasn't the main feeling he got. What's more, is that Taupe, he couldn't describe it or explain it, but the Faunus had this aura to him, like a feeling. A feeling that said he was familiar.

* * *

 _ **Observation Deck**_

Professor Ozpin stood on the high cliff that overlooked the Emerald forest on the edge of Beacon academy's campus. Cane in one hand pressing into the ground beneath it with a signature coffee mug in the other as he looked out at the wide expanse of green stretching out below.

The morning sun was still relatively low in the sky given the early hour, but it was peaceful and quiet as the headmaster stood calmly waiting. Taking a long sip from his mug, he pulled out his scroll and checked the time, "Right on time, you are quite punctual."

"You should know me by now, Ozpin," replied a voice behind the professor. Soon Ozpin was greeted by Taupe and Lace, "I may be blind, but I will always make it on time."

"It is good to see you, old friend," greeted Ozpin as he turned around and switching his coffee mug to his other hand, holding both his cane and mug in one hand, and shook his friend's hand, "As well as you, Lace."

"Professor," regarded the Faunus with a nod.

"I can assume this isn't just a social call?" inquired the grey-haired man, knowing that Taupe never does anything without a reason for doing so.

He can be sure of this because he met Taupe many months ago, but even after that short time, he's kept in contact with the Faunus. They had met in Haven when Ozpin was on a business trip, speaking with General Ironwood about some matters regarding their, mutual goal. It was near the end of their meeting did the Headmaster run into the Faunus, and the two began talking. Soon, Ozpin came to trust the Faunus, and understand his allegiances, but that wasn't what really caused the two men to set up connections.

It was because of this inquiry that caused Taupe's friendly smile to be replaced with a stern expression.

"Is there a place that we may speak in private?" asked the Faunus.

"We can speak in my office," answered Ozpin, before he turned to Lace, "And I am right to assume you have been informed of your friend's situation and connections?"

"Taupe hasn't lied to me before, don't see why he would start now," replied Lace with a shrug.

With a nod, Ozpi gestured for the two to follow. Entering the front of the main building, they went down several corridors before stepping into an elevator and rode it to the very top of the tower. The doors opening to reveal the headmaster's office, a very wide, circular room with a system of cogs and gears moving together along the walls and ceiling. A large desk sat at the very back of the room in front of a wall-sized window, and standing beside said desk was a familiar blonde woman who looked up when they entered. Green eyes narrowing when they settled upon the pair that came in with Ozpin.

"I believe you and Professor Goodwitch remember each other from the last time you met," said Ozpin as they approached the desk, the headmaster going around to the other side and taking a seat.

"We have," replied Taupe with a smile, knowing that their meetings were less meetings and more Taupe messing with Goodwitch, "It is nice to see you again, Glynda."

"Taupe," replied Goodwitch cooly.

"I take it she's aware of your sit'?" asked Lace, who has never met Professor Goodwitch, so he was understandably cautious.

Ozpin nodded, "Glynda is one of a select few people I trust above all others. Whatever is said here will be kept in confidence, you have my word. However, I must ask: why exactly have you come here?"

Wordlessly, Taupe reached up to his Kasa and pulled something out from underneath it. From where Ozpin was sitting, he could make out that it was a coin, maybe a medallion if he was certain. Then, taking it in one hand, he flipped it towards the professor, using his thumb to strike the coin. A metallic ring rang out softly as the medallion flipped through the air towards Ozpin who caught it in one hand. Shifting the medallion in his hand he looked down and his entire demeanor shifted from mildly concerned to outright rigid.

"Professor?" asked Glynda, who had only seen Ozpin display this much concern when they both saw the state of one of their allies.

"The keeps have been disturbed, Ozpin," warned Taupe, as he stepped towards the professor who had not taken his eyes off the medallion. It was gold in color, and rather simple in design, but the design was all that was needed for Ozpin to realize what caused Taupe to come here and warn him. On the medallion was a sword dividing half of a human skull and half of a Knight's helm, "The Grimm have become unnerved, something is sifting through the rubble of a fallen order. Whispers have floated through the air that their return, that _her_ return is upon us."

Ozpin closed his hand around the medallion as he shut his eyes in contemplation. He knew exactly what Taupe was referring to, and more importantly, _who_ he was talking about.

"You took an oath to advise the court, to act as a mediator should issues arise," continued Taupe, his stern expression held all the same, "and as such, you have an obligation, to honor that oath."

"Has there been any confirmation?" asked Ozpin, wanting to be certain.

"No concrete evidence, but the keeps have been disturbed," repeated Taupe, "You know as well as I do that if she is returning, then it is not just Salem we have to worry about."

"Agreed, but there may be hope for us," concurred Ozpin as he stood from his desk, "however, I would require your assistance."

"What exactly is this 'hope'?" asked Lace skeptically, needing some hard evidence to believe certain things.

Ozpin gave them both a calculating look, "A single, unknown variable at times is all that takes to turn the tide of a conflict." he said cryptically, "The factions have fought battles far more fierce than any of the kingdoms could ever hope to experience. Battled a foe that I dare say rivals Salem. Your style and allies may be considered ancient by modern standards, but their skill, as well as the strength, ferocity, dedication, and convictions to defend the defenseless is something that has inspired legends in the past, and is indeed invaluable. As well as their experience with this new threat."

"I don't they were every truly gone," spoke up Lace, voicing his own opinion, "just waiting."

"Regardless," the headmaster turned back to his desk and sat back down, "I had my beliefs about the factions when I first became aware of them, but without meeting a warrior from any faction in years, until I met one in particular and you, I know now that my beliefs were beyond exceeded."

"You wish to recruit us?" asked Taupe, figuring that Ozpin might ask.

Though, when the offer came, one thing came to mind that Taupe could actively do: annoy Goodwitch.

"I am, and I am also hoping you two will accept," said Ozpin honestly, "Our enemies create fear, and fear will bring the Grimm. I put much faith in this school in teaching the next generation of saviors for our world, but I fear that they will still not be fully prepared for what may be lurking behind the scenes. That is where I need someone like you and Lace, to help guide them down that path that will keep our darkness at bay, and put an end to a horrible conflict before it begins."

For the moment, a tense silence filled the office, everything that had been offered now laid before Taupe and Lace. In the few years that followed since he lost his sight, Taupe never thought that he might become a teacher, nor did Lace. But Taupe could not ignore the threat that may arise later on, and he had to make sure that these, _allies_ of Ozpin had what it takes to stand against both the Grimm and other threats.

The factions may be scattered, and the court had long since met, he could not ignore the oath he took to combat evil.

Nor could Lace walk away from this either. When his friend explained why he was meeting with Ozpin, what happened in the past, and what may come, it wasn't that hard to come to the conclusion that he also couldn't ignore this. Ozpin didn't know Lace as well as Taupe, or vice versa, he divulged what seemed to be classified information to them in the hopes of gaining their help and trust. People who are not only apart of a secret and ancient faction, but fighters who fought for the greater good.

Looking at each other, they both held a silent conversation, until Lace nodded. Then the two looked back to the two professors, who were silently waiting, and patiently waiting for their response.

"When do we start?" asked Taupe with a smirk, his mood going back to calm and laid back. Lace meanwhile folded his arms and gave a nod of his own, saying that he'll help.

Seems like warriors of two different factions may soon meet, if not for the first time, then properly.

* * *

 _ **Vale**_

The trip to Vale was a bit quiet, but none the less productive. In the Bullhead the girls and Warden planned out what they were going to do once they were there. The first place they were going to is a weapon shop for Ruby, she needed to stock up on ammunition for her Crescent Rose. Next was the clothing store, which was Weiss' idea, saying that she wanted to see what today's fashion was. After looking at clothes, Yang suggested they get some lunch, a small restaurant that also featured some live entertainment, mainly singing. Afterward, they would head over to a bookstore that had an order of books for Blake. Then they could just do whatever it is they wanted until it was time they had to go back.

Warden decided to wear some casual clothing, this meant his cloak, cama, and armor was left in the dorm. Although he did keep his weapons on hand. Despite Vale being extremely safe, he wanted them on hand just in case. His casual clothing consisted of black jeans, a white t-shirt with a grey and gold jacket over top. He wore normal sneakers, with a gold band over the top.

At their arrival, Warden gestured for the girls to lead the way. While they were walking, people began to whisper about the group. The females half were chatting about how handsome Warden was and they were jealous that Team RWWBY was hanging out with him. The males were angry and jealous that he was with four young beautiful maidens and was on a date with them.

However, when Warden sent them a glare, the male population all found something that was suddenly very interesting. He knew what was going and personally, he really didn't care what people thought. If they had a problem, they were more than welcome to come and say it to his face, _'I'll stand by what I said. People's opinions only affect me if I allow them to.'_

It didn't take them long until they reach the weapon shop. While Ruby was purchasing the ammunition, her teammates were looking around. Countless kinds of weapons hung around the store ranging from swords to sniper rifles. Weiss was examining the Dust they had to see if she needed any while Yang was with Ruby, who was finalizing her purchase, Blake was with Warden looking at the weapons.

"What happened to the old days, when a sword was just a sword, and a gun was just a gun?" Warden asked himself as he looked at each weapon.

Though, he didn't have much room to talk since Fulmine could easily become an assault rifle and shot blasts of either ice, fire, or whatever dust he had on hand. Truth be told, he personally favored the classics, which explains why Fulmine had a simple design, but ornate decor. When he was little, he was more interested in guns and was very much willing to make a weapon that incorporated a firearm of some kind. Despite his godfather's personal insistence on sticking with a classical weapon.

As Warden was looking around, he caught sight of five particular weapons hanging on the wall. The sight of them caused a knot to form in his stomach. The weapons were a Poleaxe, short sword and dagger, and a flail and kite shield. These were the weapons his team once used. Their presence reminded Warden of his former, and though he is coming to accept what happened, he still couldn't help but blame himself.

"Warden?" asked Ruby, noticing the somber look on her friend's face when he was looking at those particular weapons. Hearing her voice, the Knight looked up to see the concerned expressions of his team, "You okay?"

"Sorry," he apologized, before looking at the weapons again, "just remembering my old team."

The girls wanted to ask further, but the look he gave forced them to stop, "So, how'd you learn to fight with your fists?" asked Yang, changing the subject, thinking that was the best option.

"Well, back in Vacuo, you didn't or couldn't always rely on your weapon," began Warden, remembering the first time he got into a fistfight, "A friend of mine decided that the best way to be prepared was to spar with me and train me in using your fists. Your fighting style is pretty close to a style of boxing he knew."

"Really?" asked Yang, now thoroughly curious.

"Yeah, the type of fighting yours can be related to is called Slugger Style Boxing," continued Warde, "it's actually the same fighting style the drone I fought against this morning used."

A light bulb lite up in Ruby's head, causing to snapped her fingers, "I got an idea! You can help train with us!"

"Huh?" blinked Warden, not fully understanding what the reaper was talking about.

"You can help train us," explained Ruby, "Seeing you this morning, you can help train with us to help us get better."

"Why not," agreed Warden as he and the group left the store.

The group then went to the clothing store next because they were having a big sale. While the girls were busy looking at the selection, Warden decided to look around on his own, before he spotted a jacket that he kinda liked. It was a simple white leather jacket with gold armbands that wrapped around the sleeves of the upper arms. Seeing the jacket, he decided to try it on. An employee of the store just happens to notice him and inform him that he could get it customize for a price. Thankfully, Weiss was willing to pay for it as a thank you for helping her last week. Warden remembered how everyone at Beacon seems to have their own emblem to represent who they are.

Thinking for a moment, he thought about making up one of his own, but then an idea wormed its way into the back of his head and Warden decided to go with that. After explaining the design to the employee, she set to work making the emblem, and in a few minutes, it was ready. Taking it back and switching out his hoodie for this new jacket, Warden put it on and decided to show it off to his team. The jacket remained relatively the same, but with an addition that went over top the armbands. Placed on the shoulders, was the symbol of the Iron Legion.

Little did he know, he attracted a crowd of women from all ages were ogling him. Ruby's and Weiss' eyebrows twitched at the response, or maybe comment, the women said about Warden as anger built inside of them. Comments spread around like wildfire forcing Team RWWBY to hurry to make the purchase before things get messy. Weiss and Ruby each grab one of Warden's hand while Yang and Blake followed behind, just shaking their heads, though for the blonde it was more out of amusement, all the while Warden rolled his eyes.

 _'Even though I left Vacuo, I still find women who develop crushes for me,'_ thought Warden to himself. He decided not to say anything, mainly to avoid the ire of both girls, and also because one look from Yang said that he should not ruin this because she was enjoying this far too much.

Yang took the group to a burger joint for lunch. Warden, who still had his new jacket on, Yang, and Ruby ordered burgers while Weiss settle for a salad and Blake got a fish burger. The Knight stopped eating for a minute to take a look at the girls. Weiss was lecturing Yang on being a proper lady because she burped loudly as Yang told her to loosen up. Ruby tried to calm her partner down while Blake just continued to eat her meal. He chuckled softly at them, this reminded him of more fond memories of his old team.

After lunch, the group went around the city to explore. The group went in and out of different shops along the way like the music shop and bakery for examples. The day flew by and it was now already 4 o'clock. The group had one last store to go to before they head back to Beacon. The final store of the day was called Tukson's Book Trade. When they enter, every shelf was filled with books and the store owner stood at the counter.

Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun" he greeted.

"Hello, Tuskon. I'm here to pick up my order" Blake said.

"Oh Blake, just one moment."

The rest of the group looked around to see if anything catch their interest. It wasn't long until a loud thud echoed through the store along with the sound of falling books. The group turned to see the huge book pile on the floor and emerging from the pile was Ruby.

"Sorry!"

"Its okay, are you hurt?" Tukson asked which she shook her head, letting him know she wasn't hurt.

Moving over to help clean, Team RWWBY began gathering the fallen books. Warden was about to put some books back when he noticed a symbol he didn't think he would ever see anywhere else. Setting the books he held aside, he pushed a few of the scattered books that lay on top of the symbol away to find an old book. This one, for lack of a better term, ancient, but despite its age, it was in impressive condition. On the cover was the same symbol of the Iron Legion, but just below it was a set of words that Warden never thought he'd see. His godfather told him about how only three of these books were made. That the early warriors of Remnant worked together to put this book together.

Tukson noticed Warden and the book, "I was wondering where that book went."

Blake shifted her gaze to the store owner, "What's so special about it?"

"That book has been here long before I own this place. The previous owner told me that this is one of the few remaining books that was created during the time man was created."

"That can't be! There's no way a book could last this long from all the way back then!" Weiss stated in disbelief.

"Trust me miss, I have a hard time believing it too, but it's a truth."

"So, why isn't this book in a museum then?" Ruby questioned.

"No one can read it."

"What do you mean?" Yang asked.

"The entire content is written in a code that no one has ever seen before. Since nobody can decipher it, it was left to waste. See for yourself."

The girls circled around Warden as he opened the book revealing symbols and pictures. He slowly flips the pages as the same symbols appear along with some new pictures. A few numbers also appear, or what Ruby guesses are numbers. The handwriting was ancient.

"I have no idea what the Dust this book is saying", she scratched a cheek with a finger, "Do you guys have a clue?"

"Nope."

"Never seen it before."

"This is probably some gibberish language from back then."

"Maybe...What do you think Ward?" asked Yang, glancing at the Knight, who had been silent up until now, "Ward, you okay?"

Not sure what their teammate was talking about, Weiss, Ruby, and Blake all looked at Warden's facial expression. On his face was a look of awe, shock, and wonder. He continued to flip through the pages as he silently mouthed something to himself.

 _'There's no way...There were only three copies...But the text... The guides... The conduct... Even the symbol on the front... But how? The stories say these things were lost during the Great War. When the Iron Legion fell. But, could it really be?'_ Warden thought to himself as he flipped back to the cover. Eyeing the text below the symbol of the Iron Legion.

"Isn't that the symbol of the Wardens?" asked Ruby, remembering the story Warden told them the first night they were in Beacon.

Looking out at the words, Warden read them quietly, _"L_ _eges Honorarum."_

"What?" asked Weiss, not sure if she heard Warden.

 _"Leges Honorarum,"_ he repeated louder, holding the book reverently, "The Code of Honor."

The entire room blinked and was silent for a moment before Tukson broke the silence, "You can read it!?"

"Sort of, but I'm more surprised that this book even exists," replied Warden as he turned back to the store owner.

"What do you mean?" asked Blake, her curiosity now peaked that he was taking this book so seriously.

"The story I told you about the Wardens, and the Knights of the Iron Legion, this has to do with them" reminded Warden, causing the group to nod, minus Tuscon, who wasn't there for the story, "Well, the Knights wanted to create a sort of system of rules and regulations. A sort of code of conduct that most Huntsmen and Huntresses have today. But this book held hundreds of secrets. All the rules of the old world. And as legend would have it, only three copies were ever made and written in a language only the Knights knew. These three books were supposedly destroyed during the Great War."

"So how do you know what it says?" asked Weiss.

"My godfather studied cryptography, so whenever I was bored I would sometimes try to read some of his old books. He had a pretty large collection and sometimes there was the book that had a similar language," explained Warden, who received a nod from the Heiress, who seemingly accepted the answer.

"Well, if you can read, you can keep it, free of charge," interjected Tukson, he had a smile on his face.

The teens blinked at his generosity. This was an extremely rare book he was giving away that could be worth billions. If Tukson was to give this to a museum, he could live the rest of his days in peace never have to work again. Yet he was willing to give it away for free.

"Are you sure?" the surprised kunoichi asked.

"I am. I rather see that book in his hand than here collecting dust."

"Thank you, very much, sir," thanked Warden, a smile on his face as he looked at the book. Blake quickly paid for her book and the group headed back to the Bullhead to return to Beacon. As they headed back, Warden thanked each member of his team, telling them he hadn't done this in a while but was glad he did with them. He also asked if they could do this again sometime, to which they nodded yes as a smile appeared on both Ruby's and Weiss' faces.

* * *

 _ **Next Day**_

 _-Auditorium-_

"This reminds of our time in Haven," commented Lace as he and Taupe waited for Goodwitch to arrive.

True to their word, they agreed to help Ozpin out, but some requirements had been made. While they were now staff, they had to help out in whatever way they could. Meaning, Goodwitch had a new teaching assistant in the form of Taupe. As for Lace, he was the new guidance counselor. He was a good listener, and while he didn't have much to say about certain things, he could provide a lot of feedback and personal opinions to people who needed some help.

"Indeed it does, but things have changed since Haven," agreed Taupe as he twirled one of his Wakizashi in his hand. The blade's edge glimmered in the light of the morning sun that was peering down through the windows of the auditorium. The space was big enough to not only hold the number of students in the class, but the stage in the center was the perfect size for when they were able to start mock-tournament matches.

To be honest, neither of the two Faunus ever envisioned themselves being teachers, excluding Taupe who on occasion helped a few people, giving them some pointers and minor suggestions on how to improve their fighting. Thankfully, Goodwitch had sent him a complete and detailed lesson plan for the course that Lace went over extensively when Taupe was given the position as her teaching assistant. Writing doesn't have much meaning to the blind Faunus anymore. So Lace was kind enough to translate for Taupe. So after spending a good while studying the previous evening, Taupe was ready to act as an assistant.

The doors to the auditorium opened and closed causing Lace to look up at the doorway and Taupe to just raise his head as his ears flicked in the direction of the noise. Glynda walked through the chairs set up toward the stage, scroll in hand before she looked up and saw the pair of men waiting for her, "Taupe, Lace, I didn't expect either of you to be so earlier."

"I thought I would get the jump on my new career and familiarize myself with our teaching environment," replied Taupe kindly, his tone had a lighthearted feel as he sheathed his Wakizashi.

"I'm just here to make sure things are in order. And to get a feel for the students," said Lace, explaining his own reasoning.

The doors opened again and were followed by excited chatter as the students entered. Lace stood on the right of Glynda while Taupe remained seated where he was as the students filled in the chairs. A few of them sending glances at the two Faunus as they remained in their places on the stage while they waited for Glynda to start things off.

"Now then, everyone," Glynda spoke clearly, looking at the students in attendance, "I'm sure you may have heard a few rumors, but I'll let confirm them for you now. We have two new teachers here with us today. They are both well rounded and skilled Huntsmen from Haven and have proven time and time again that disabilities cannot mean the end of your career as a Huntsmen or Huntress. Students, may I introduce Taupe Alabaster and Lace Ironstone."

Lace stepped into the spotlight nodding to everyone while Taupe remained where he was. His hat blocking his eyes.

"Mr. Alabaster shall be your new assistant combat instructor. And Mr. Ironstone shall be student Guidance Counselor," explained Goodwitch, before moving on with the lesson.

However, as the lesson proceeded, Taupe was actually using semblance to survey the whole class. Though, his attention on two particular students who were sitting at the very front of the class.

It was Warden Allister and Ruby Rose of Team RWWBY, two students that Ozpin had noted for specific attention. Ruby Rose was younger than the other students, by at least two years, having gained much attention when she and Warden helped foil the robbery of Torchwick a few months prior. However, Warden drew a bit more attention.

The boy had a rough past, from what Lace had told Taupe of him. But, past alone is not what garnered most of his attention. Taupe's semblance was unique in a sense of being very uncommon, but it served a greater purpose than to give the Faunus an edge in battle. It served as his 'eyes' as well. The Panda Faunus' semblance was Seismokenesis, or the ability to control vibrations. So it came as a surprise to the Panda Faunus that the boy had the emblem of the Iron Legion on a clasp.

"For our lesson today, we shall be covering Semblances," announced Professor Goodwitch, "Warden, you shall give us a demonstration of a semblance."

Nodding, Warden rose from his chair, noting the curious whispers that floated through the audience. No one had seen his Semblance, not even his own team, so he couldn't suppress a small smirk from forming. He found it funny with all the speculation floating around.

The Knight walked around to the side of the stage before climbing up the flight of stairs. His boots echoed as each step was taken, an audible clunk was heard every time he took a step. Making his way to the center of the elevated stage, Warden prepared to get his Semblance ready. However, before Warden could even get started, Taupe suddenly stood up and his head snapped up to look at the ceiling.

No warning. No reason. No indication gave a foresight to what transpired next.

The ceiling to the auditorium suddenly shattered, followed by fire and energy as debris rained down onto the floor. A few students cried out in fear while Goodwitch, Taupe, and Lace all drew their weapons. From the dust and debris, that clouded the new hole in the ceiling, a large orange and black figure came hurtling down. Warden narrowed his eyes but then widened them as he soon realized where it was headed: him.

Taken by surprise like everyone else, Warden was unprepared for the blur that landed on the stage, directly in front of him and then tackles him across the auditorium.

"Warden!" cried out Ruby as she saw her friend get tackled. Without even thinking, she ran over with teans RWWBY and JNPR following.

Warden felt the air get knocked out of his lungs as he and the figure slammed into the floor, however, Warden wouldn't go down so easily. Rolling across the floor, he managed to grab the arm of the figure and hurl him or her off. The figure righted himself in the air and landed on his feet. A metal grinding sound filled the auditorium as the figure slid back.

Rising to his feet, Warden now had a better look at his attacker. It was the Knight he saw in Forever Fall.

"Mr. Allister, get back," ordered Goodwitch as she, Taupe, and Lace all stood about fifteen feet behind. The professor was about to wave her riding crop and bring the student back, but the Knight suddenly reached into his pocket and pulled out a device. It was round, about the size of a scroll, and had one button on the side. Pressing the button, the Knight then tossed it between him and Warden.

Suddenly, a blue ray of light shot from the center of the device. Rising about twenty feet into the air, the beam stopped before coming down in a large dome. Warden was trapped inside the dome which then began to expand. Everything outside the dome was pushed back as it expanded, including the three faculty staff, Team RWWBY, and Team JNPR.

Looking at his team, Warden ran over to them, despite the dome expanding. After a few more seconds the dome ceased its expansion and now had a total circumference of over fifty feet.

"Warden!" yelled Ruby as she banged her hand against the side of the dome, a somewhat glass echo sounded as her hands struck.

"I'm fine," reassured Warden as he placed his hand against the dome, "It looks like some sort of shield."

"Just be patient while we find a way to get the shield down," requested Goodwitch, noting that the shield seemed to absorb whatever energy was thrown at it.

However, the sound of metal plates clanking drew the attention of those present. Looking back, Warden saw the Knight standing about fifteen feet away. Reaching to his left hip, he pulled out his sword. Now that Warden was closer, he could see the details and patterns that were etched into the blade and guard. It had vine-like patterns crisscrossing the guard, which itself looked to be a separate piece. The handle was navy blue with silver ornate markings over the blue straps. The pommel had a crown appearance. But the blade was interesting.

It had a weathered appearance like it had seen years of use. A few chips in the edge of the blade, while the crease along the center of the sword face had some tarnishing. In all honesty, the blade was extremely beautiful, its worn appearance giving it it's own personality, despite the damage. However, Warden tensed as he saw the Knight take the sword in his right hand and swing it out to his side. Then, he raised the sword and placed it on his chest before swinging it out in a some sort of greeting.

"I think I know why this guy's here," said Warden as he stepped away from the side of the dome and drew Fulmine.

"Mr. Allister," said Glynda threateningly, "you are not to engage that man."

"I don't think I have much of choice, ma'am," he replied evenly, knowing that the Knight would attack even if he didn't first, "He came here looking for a fight, didn't you?"

The Knight made no sign of acknowledgment, only to adopt a form that had Warden narrowing his eyes while everyone else widened theirs. The stance the Knight took, it was almost identical to the one Warden uses.

If this guy wanted a fight, he was going to get one. Taking his stance, Warden readied himself for battle. On an invisible signal, both the teen and Knight charged at each other. Warden raised his sword first, bringing it down in a diagonal slash. The Knight blocked the attack, their blades colliding created a burst of sparks.

Pressing his aggressive attack, Warden performed a quick upward slash that was deflected by the Knight. Using his momentum, the teen spun around and swung low at the Knight's legs, but the attack missed when the Knight jumped up about one foot to allow the blade to swing under.

Continuing with his assault, Warden, and the Knight locked blades, the two of them trying to overpower the other, "You were at Forever Fall, I saw you," accused Warden but received no response. Instead, the Knight shifted their locking blades and twirled his own sword around, causing Warden to stumble forward as his opponent suddenly dropped back on his clash.

Recovering quickly, Warden spun around in time to block a heavy swing from the Knight. He then quickly ducked under a backhand from him, only to hastily bring Fulmine up in a ditch effort to block a right diagonal slash. However, due to the hasty nature of the block, it was perfect as Fulmine was knocked down, leaving Warden open to a shoulder bash from the Knight. A second before the armored shoulder collided, the gathered studies and faculty outside the dome could see the Knight's body shimmer in a dark orange for a split second.

The shimmer went by unnoticed to Taupe thanks to being blind, but Lace and Goodwitch narrowed their eyes. It was an old technique, one that hasn't been used in centuries. But it was no less powerful.

Warden was sent sliding back under the force of the bash. His boots slid across the floor as he held his chest. His vision was fixed completely on the Knight. The warrior suddenly pulled his sword back, looking like he was going to swing at Warden despite being ten feet away, but a bad feeling settled in the teen's stomach. A dark orange aura glimmered across the blade, it had a malevolent feeling to it. Soon, the entire blade was hidden by the energy. Without warning, the Kight swung the blade in a diagonal slash, an arc of energy sped towards Warden.

Acting on instinct, Warden dove to the side, letting the arc speed passed him. Heading right towards the side of the dome, the arc exploded violently in a blast of fire and smoke. Warden took one glance at the fireball and came to the conclusion that he did not want to get hit by that attack. Shifting his focus back to the Knight, Warden sheathed Fulmine and unholstered both Ludex and Iudices.

A barrage of bullets shot out from both automatic handcannons, however, the Knight seemed to have a counter for that. Seeing the teen had drawn both pistols, he pressed a button on the side of his sword. The handguard suddenly transformed into a large ring that went from the top of the handle to the pommel forming a full ring. Energy began to collect in his right hand, the one holding his sword, energy Warden assumed was his aura. Holding out the sword in one hand, the Knight sent his aura into the handle of his sword. Like a propeller, the sword began to spin incredibly quickly, deflecting all the bullets.

Upon seeing that his shots weren't doing much, Warden holstered both handcannons and unsheathed Fulmine and charged right towards the Knight. Both warriors surged towards each other, the swords raised to strike the other. Swinging down, Warden and the Knight's blades collided, the swords slamming into each other with several sparks coming from the point of collision. The two were trying to overpower the other until Warden suddenly shoved the Knight back and quickly performed a front kick to his stomach. The Knight took a step back but was hardly fazed as he returned with a right hook that smashed into the teen's jaw.

Holding his jaw, Warden huffed as he suddenly swung Fulmine at the Knight, but his attack was only blocked by the Knight's sword. Spinning around in the opposite direction the teen swung again his opponent but hit thin air as the Knight jumped back. Following the momentum, Warden entered a kneeling stance and transformed Fulmine into its rifle form and open fired on the Knight. The Knight dove to the side, and whilst in the motion of doing so, swung another wave of energy at Warden.

With barely any time to react, Warden just managed to dodge the arc as he dive-rolled to the right, letting the arc sail past him and explode when it crashed into the side of the shield. Scrambling to their feet, the Knight and Warden charged each other, the swords clashing once more. This time, when their blades connected, their auras were now in play as energy swam across the bodies. Bursts of power shook the floor slightly as their weapons collided. Breaking off their attack for a moment, both Warden and the Knight swung at each other with their weapons in their right hands. The action left them at a stalemate as Warden's left hand held tightly to the Knight's right hand, the one holding the sword. But the teen was in a similar position as the Knight was holding off his sword hand.

Their auras clashed with each other, the contrast of bright gold and dark orange couldn't be more apparent. The power between the two began to build until a massive blast of energy erupted from between them. Warden slid on his back towards the side of the dome while the Knight was blown near the center of it.

"Professor, are you certain there isn't anything we can do?" asked Weiss, concerned for her friend's safety.

"I'm afraid we can't do anything with that dome up," answered Taupe, the Faunus sliding his Katana against the dome, using his Semblance to feel the vibrations of the energy, "it was designed to remain up until one of them can no longer fight."

"Are you really sure?" asked Ruby as she kept her vision fixed on Warden as he rose to his feet and rolled his shoulder as the Knight also stood up.

"One way or another, the kid's going to fight," said the Faunus grimly as he focused on the fight. His only hope that the kid manages to keep it together.

Warden was just barely holding his own.

Whoever this was, he knew exactly how to use a longsword. The teen would even go so far as to say that he may even have rivaled his godfather. Because it was taking all of his focus to fighting the Knight.

Charging towards each other, Warden and the Knight re-engaged each other. Their blades clashing against one another, a shower of sparks and the battling of their aura's echoing through the auditorium. The Knight performed a wide slash which Warden managed to parry. He might regret his next move as the teen suddenly lunged forward and smashed his forehead into the Knight's chest, causing him to stumble slightly. Without letting up, Warden suddenly made a surprise upward slash that resulted in a deafening screech as the tip of Fulmine slashed right across the Knight's helmet.

The Knight looked absolutely stunned if his body language revealed anything. Reaching, the Knight felt the long scratch that went across the left side of his helmet. Black paint had been completely scratched off, leaving a long vertical cut in the helmet, going across the eyehole in the process. It gave the impression of a scar on a face.

The Knight tightened his grip on his sword, a snort escaping as the first sound he made during their exchange. Taking his sword in two hands, the Knight charged, as did Warden.

Their weapons met in a metallic clash as both warriors swung at each other, but the Knight quickly went on the offensive, forcing Warden back. Multiple slashes from the longsword had Warden walking back as he defended himself until the Knight suddenly slammed his sword into Fulmine as his left hand lashed out and slammed his open hand into Warden's face. Pushing back, the Knight forcibly shoved the teen back before pushing his left hand forward and causing Warden to stumble back as his head was forced back.

After regaining himself, Warden charged forward, slashing Fulmine at his foe. The two exchanged blows. The teen moved quicker since he was not hindered by armor and was able to duck under a right wing from the Knight and sliced Fulmine across the Knight's back.

The Knight stumbled as a result of the cut but was far from taking this lying down as he suddenly retaliated with a brutal bludgeon of his pommel into Warden's stomach.

The Teammate of RWWBY held his stomach as he twirled Fulmine around in his hand. His aura shimmered across his body, the Knight responded in kind by displaying his own aura. The two charged towards each other, their swords raised. Upon connection of their weapons, their auras exploded outward. The power being displayed had everyone, even the teachers, gaping in shock.

"Man, who knew Ward had it in him," commented Yang as she watched the exchange.

"Warden is fighting with all that he can," commented Pyrrha, saying something for the first time since the fight started, "Whoever this is, he is extremely skilled."

"Are you sure?" asked Jaune, his expression showed that he was equally shocked to see how skilled Warden was. He had only taken a few hits, but the Knight had taken less.

"Warden and I were regular sparring partners, back when he still attended Vacuo," recalled Pyrrha as she knew that if anyone could hold their own against her, even go so far as making her work incredibly hard for a win, it was Warden, "every single time we sparred, it always ended in a draw."

Looking back to the fighting warriors, their auras shimmered around them in a brilliant display.

The Knight seemed to force Warden's sword aside so their shoulders were practically pressing against one another.

"You are more skilled than I previously thought, boy," complimented the Knight.

"So you can talk," quipped Warden, deciding to use psychological combat as well, "can I get a name to go with that face? Or better yet, why you're doing this?"

Harshly shoving Warden back, the Knight slammed his boat into Warden's stomach, causing the teen to take a few steps back.

"I am Ademar," introduced the Knight, bowing in politeness, or about as polite as a Knight could be for attacking a young adult, "but my reason for attacking you is not for you to know."

With that, the Knight charged forward as Warden ran to meet the Knight. The swords clashed with each other, their auras boosting their power as a miniature dome of energy surrounded them when their weapons met. Their auras clashed everytime their weapons met. Ademar was a bit more skilled than Warden as he forced the teen back with a merciless onslaught of slashes of his sword. Warden was able to block each attack until Ademar spun around after landing a brutal downward swing with his sword and slashed Warden shoulder open.

The teen grunted in pain as he instinctively grabbed his shoulder. Removing his hand, he saw a deep cut had been made, his aura was barely hanging in there as he had been fighting Ademar for nearly twenty minutes. It might not seem like a long time, but in the middle of a fight, it can feel like an hour.

Hearing a war cry, Warden barely managed to jump out of the way of a thrust from Ademar's sword. Stumbling back, Warden sheathed Fulmine and pulled out both Ludex and Iudices and tried to fire at the Knight. But the Knight was faster and sent a wave of energy at him, the wave sliced right through both handcannons, destroying them. Warden fell back with a grunt as he shook his head.

"Warden!" cried out Ruby, trying to warn him as she saw Ademar charging right towards him.

On instinct, the teen raised his left gauntlet to block a harsh slash from the Knight. The power behind the swing shattered his gauntlet and the blade dug into his forearm. Warden was knocked back further, sliding across his back but managed to roll to his feet. Warden was panting heavily, exhaustion getting to him. Reaching for Fulmine, he brought out the sword. However, he couldn't raise his guard fast enough to block Ademar's assault.

Ademar sent a brutal left haymaker to Warden's jaw, then sliced at Warden's exposed stomach, cut through the teen's clothing. Warden held his stomach as he felt some blood seep through the cut. Holding Fulmine in one hand, Warden continued to try and hold his stance. Ademar snorted in amusement as he performed an upward diagonal swing, completely knocking Fulmine out of Warden's grip. The beautiful sword twirled through the air behind Warden before the tip embedded itself in the floor. Warden looked back to see where his weapon resided for a second before turning back to Ademar. The Knight had crouched down low and performed a brutal left uppercut. The blow knocked Warden into the air as brute strength, not enhanced by aura in the slightest was used to send him flying.

However, Ademar was far from merciful as he grabbed the teen's left leg. With the limb in his grip, Ademar smashed Warden into the floor on his stomach. Swinging him around, Warden flew across the floor of the dome and landed on his back. Warden gasped for breath as he felt the air rush back into his after being forced out when he hit the floor on his stomach.

"Warden!" cried out Ruby as she saw her friend get pummeled into the ground.

"Get up, Ward'," pleaded Pyrrha, voicing her own concern. The other students were silently praying for the Knight to rise to his feet.

"Guess you are not as strong as I previously thought," said Ademar as he approached the downed teen. Warden tried sitting up, but a metal boot planted itself firmly onto his chest. Looking up, he saw Ademar looming above him, "Xanther taught you well, but he didn't teach you everything."

"What?" gasped Warden as he tried to look up but his head would barely move.

"Leave him alone!" pleaded Ruby, even though she couldn't do a thing to stop what was happening. Ademar glanced back at Ruby for a moment, his eyes, though hidden behind the helmet seemed to bore into Ruby's.

"You care about him, do you?" inquired Ademar, however, Ruby said nothing, her expression still somewhat pleading, but mainly concern for Warden's well being. He had taken a harsh beating, and if what Pyrrha said was true, then whoever this guy was clearly was more dangerous than she originally thought, "Perhaps that can give you the drive you need after I dispose of the boy."

Without another word, Ademar turned back to Warden, who was still under his boot, his breathing sharp as he tried to get air back into his lungs. The Knight then began to raise his sword.

"Maybe she'll provide more of a challenge," taunted Ademar as he raised his sword completely above his head.

Warden took a sharp breath in. Fear, no, terror clung to his heart like nothing before. This so-called _Knight_ was threating to kill Ruby after him. That was something more painful than anything he could ever endure. He had already lost someone he cared about he wasn't about to lose another.

Then the Knight swung down at the downed teen.

"NO!" screamed Ruby as she saw the Knight swing at her friend. However, her fearful expression turned into shock, as did everyone else in the auditorium who witnessed something they didn't think to see.

Even Ademar had a shocked expression which was, for his sake, hidden behind his helmet as he held his position.

Sitting upright, about a foot away from where he originally resided was Warden. His head was bowed and eyes were shut as the boy held the sword between his two hands.

Warden. Caught. The Sword. With. Just. His. Hands.

Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance as Warden remained in his sitting position. The blade of the sword was only a millimeter away from his head. However, that wasn't what drew the most attention.

"How did-" began Ademar in shock, though stopped when he saw Warden look up at him. His entire eyes glowed blood red. Suddenly gold and orange flames flickered into existence around his body.

 **"YOU, WILL NEVER,"** declared Warden, is voicing changing dramatically, becoming deeper, an echo accompanying his words as he stood up, the sword clasped in his hands tightly began to groan slightly, **"LAY A HAND ON HER!"**

With that, Warden snapped the sword in half with his bare hands. Thunder rumbled again as Warden lunged forward, using the broken shard in his hand as a makeshift knife and stabbed Ademar in the shoulder.

The Knight grunted in pain as Warden lunged forward and grabbed him by his waist and threw him to the ground. Ademar bounced off the ground from the force behind it, rolling across the ground a few feet before getting to his feet, holding his head, the impact severely jarred him, and the shard of his sword stabbed in his shoulder didn't help.

But if he thought he was out of the fight, he was wrong.

Warden charged right towards Ademar who was still trying to regain himself. As a result, Ademar was not prepared for a brutal left hook from Warden that sent him stumbling back. He even tried to fight back, swinging out his right fist dumbly, but Warden dodged the attack and countered with a straight to Ademar's jaw, followed by a left hook, but he didn't let up.

Warden swung a brutal right uppercut and sent a left haymaker to Ademar's jaw. He tried blocking the blows, but his defense was broken when Warden a right uppercut, breaking through and followed with a one-two combo to his jaw, pulling back his right fist again, punching the knight in the stomach before landing another right to his jaw. Ademar was barely standing now as Warden bellowed in fury as he pulled his right fist once more, running at full speed and landing a massive punch that sent the Knight flying across the area of the dome.

The punch had enough force to actually break through the dome shield where Ademar skipped across the ground where he came to a stop several dozen feet away. Ademar groaned as he laid on his back. Sitting up, his vision was incredibly blurry, but he was still far from consciousness. His vision, despite the blurriness, was fixed on Warden whose body still burned with gold and orange fire. The flames almost created the image of a Knight behind him.

Ademar's eyes widened slightly.

Was he a descendant?

His master must be informed.

"Don't move," ordered Goodwitch as she, Taupe, and Lace surrounded the Knight, their respective weapons drawn.

Despite this, Ademar kept his focus on Warden. The teen lost the flames that engulfed his body, as his eyes turned back to normal. The sudden loss of power had Warden stumbling slightly, which prompted Ruby to rush over and help him stand. Team JNPR and RWWBY also went over to help support the Knight, Blake and Weiss being a little more restrained in their concern, but still none the less. The two that had his focus were the red reaper and the gold knight. He needed to go.

"To be...continued...," rasped Ademar as he pressed a button on his belt. The entire area was suddenly engulfed in a cloud of smoke. Everyone present was momentarily blinded, but the smoke fulfilled its purpose as the Knight was now gone.

"Damn...," muttered Taupe as he sheathed his katanas, "Glynda, go ahead and inform Ozpin, if he isn't already aware, of what just happened."

"Understood," nodded Goodwitch as she turned on her heel and walked over to Warden, "Mr. Allester, while you performed admirably in your duel, next time try and avoid confronting the threat that could result in heavy injuries."

"Like I said before, Ma'am: I don't think I had much of a choice," replied Warden evenly, "but, all in all, things could have ended much worse. And if the circumstances were different, I'll be sure to adhere to what you said."

She eyed him for a moment, before nodding. She then waved her riding crop and transferred some of her aura into Warden, healing his injuries. After a moment, all of his injuries were gone. With that out of the way, Glynda left to inform Ozpin of what just happened.

"That went well," commented Yang, causing Warden and both teams to groan in annoyance while he stood up under his own power.

"How could that have gone worse?" demanded Weiss incredulously as she looked at the blonde. As the heiress asked Ruby followed Warden over to his weapons.

"There could be a corpse," replied Warden bluntly as he retrieved Fulmine and slid it back in his sheath.

"Why did he attack you?" asked Ruby, concerned for her friend's health.

"Not sure," replied Warden as he looked at the broken remains of Ludex and Iudices, a somber look on his face. He really liked those guns.

"Your guns," commented Ruby, as she saw him looking at the broken remains of his favored firearms.

"They're just weapons, Ruby, they don't make the warrior, the warrior does," assured Warden. Something caught his attention. Looking over to the right, he saw the broken remains of Ademar's sword. Walking over, he picked up the weapon, or what was left of it. All that remained of the once mighty longsword was the handle and a portion of the blade. However, as he eyed the weapon, his thoughts were somewhere else.

What was his sudden power up? It looked similar to his aura, it even activated like his did, but he would know for certain that wasn't his aura. It felt..purer. Throughout the entire fight, he had never something like this kind of power. Even before he came to Vale or left Vacuo, he had never encountered this kind of thing. So what was it?

"Mr. Allister," said Taupe, his voice bringing Warden out of his thoughts, "If I know Professor Ozpin, then he's going to want to talk to you about what just happened. So go up to his office. And bring Miss Rose with you."

"Yes sir," replied Warden, Ruby, who was standing beside him nodded. Taupe gave a nod before he turned and left. Lace following behind.

"What makes you think Ozpin wants to see us?" asked Ruby.

"Whatever it is, probably has to do with the Knight," answered Warden.

 _ **To Be Continued...**_


	8. Chapter 8 The Iron Legion

_**Chapter 8, been a little bit since I update and looking pretty good so far. A lot of people a starting to deeply enjoy this, not to the extent of some other stories I read, but for something like a For Honor and RWBY crossover, it's looking pretty good.**_

 _ **Also, I'll be explaining a little bit of the history of the Iron Legion in the world of Remnant. I will talk about the other factions, but for the moment, I will be focusing on the Iron Legion as that is where Warden's heritage lies prominently. In case your wondering, I do plan on including some easter eggs, later on, nothing major but still noteworthy. This chapter is mainly filler before the mission to the coast.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own anything, just my OCs.**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 8: The Iron Legion.**_

It had been five minutes since the fight between Warden and Ademar had taken place. The Knight had defeated the attacker, but he still only was just able to defeat him, a scary thought as Warden was basically, if not on par with Pyrrha Nikos. A well-known champion, and has been undefeated for five years. But it wasn't just the fight that warranted Ozpin's attention.

So here it was, Warden and Ruby heading to the Headmaster's office, riding the elevator that would take them to it.

If awkward had a perfect moment to be applied, it would be now. Warden and Ruby never really had a moment with just each other. Being always with their friends, or just working on whatever assignment was given in their classes. But at the moment, it was abundantly clear that neither of them had a clue to say when they were stripped of their friends of work.

Ruby was rocking on her heels, back and forth, humming a tune to somehow distract herself. Even after a few days, Weiss' words remerged in the back of her mind, echoing in her ears.

Ruby didn't see any problem to have a small crush on her teammate. She had no intention of making one, it just sort of happened. And so it was their conversation a while back in their dorm room came to the very front of thoughts. Weiss liked somebody, and Ruby, the more she thought about it, the more she suspected that it was Warden.

Weiss Schnee never let a person, a guy if at all, get close to her, and when they tried, she shot them down whenever they attempted to ask her on a date. Granted Warden had never asked her out, actually, he was handling the chance of living with four girls extremely well. If Ruby was being honest with herself, she was a little disappointed, to her own shame, that he wasn't even a slight bit like other guys in his position. And it was giving her a headache, which she didn't appreciate at all. She knew that his godfather taught him to respect others, but she had to know.

"Hey, Ward'/Ruby?" asked both teens at the exact same moment. It was here that they stopped and stared at each other for a second, before quickly turning away. Bright blushes, or in Warden's case, a slight blush, formed on their faces.

 _'Why did I do that?!'_ Lamented Ruby while Warden cursed inside his own mind.

It was absurd, and he knew that. Warden was way better than this, talking to a girl shouldn't in any form at all make him nervous. He had a girlfriend once upon a time at Vacuo. But after that day...he wasn't certain if he was worthy of her anymore. But still, he's faced down swarms of Grimm, led his own team, for Oum's sake, he even fought a Knight from a supposedly fallen order and won. So he was perfectly capable of speaking to others just fine.

He spoke to Ozpin without any issues, yet here Warden Allister was, unable to form a coherent sentence with his team leader, Ruby Rose; his spunky, loveable, and innocent team leader.

"Uh, Ruby...?" he began somewhat hesitantly.

"Yeah?" answered Ruby, not meeting his eyes.

Before he could speak, the elevator came to a halt and the door slid open. Relief, as well as some annoyance and regret, flooded into the pair as they entered Ozpin's office at the summit of the tower, Warden leading and Ruby sticking close behind.

It was a spacious room with a large window in the design of a clock looking over Vale. Both the floor and ceiling were made of transparent glass with an emerald tint, through which one could see the mechanical workings of cogs and gears as if they were standing in the middle of a giant clock. This became more apparent as Warden took in his surroundings. Aside from a few plants and marble pillars, many of the things present here all resembled clocks. The benches and chairs resembled gears and Ozpin's chair itself had two, rounded, intricate designs of clocks instead of legs.

At a glass and bronze desk, a scroll terminal and teapot with several cups placed on it, Ozpin sat behind the desk, his chin resting on his folded hands as he waited patiently for his visitors. Standing to his left was Professor Goodwitch. On his right was Lace while Taupe stood off to the side, his Kasa angled down over his eyes.

"Thank you both for coming," greeted the headmaster before he motioned to the two chairs situated in front of his desk, "Please, have a seat."

"Warden, how are you fairing?" asked Ozpin as he noticed that despite the boys injuries being healed, he could see that some pain lingered, if faintly, "We reviewed the security footage and whoever that Knight was, he will be found and brought to justice for this unprovoked attack."

"I am fine, thank you. If it's any help, I managed to get a name for that Knight. Ademar."

"It's a start," commented Lace, "but this is incredibly serious. A person does not just attack a school of students. Huntsmen and Huntresses in training be that as it may, but still students."

"If I had to guess, sir," began Warden, "this might be less about the attack, and rather more about who the person was that attacked, correct?"

"Very perceptive," complimented Taupe, smirking slightly. This boy was more clever than he previously thought. Just like his old man.

"Professor, who was it that attacked, Warden?" asked Ruby, tilting her head in curiosity.

"How much do you know about the Iron Legion?" inquired Ozpin as he leaned forward into his chair.

"They were once the defenders of Remnant before the Huntsmen," she answered, remembering what Warden told her and the others, "They were knights in shining armor, protecting the weak, whoever needed it, and just defending everyone."

"Then a few hundred years ago they just vanished, around the same time as the Great War was ending," chimed in Warden, "I'd go so far as to say they might have actually fought in the war."

"Close, but not entirely. The Knights were involved, but not to the extent as some of the Kingdoms. Rather, they found in a side conflict that resonated with the war," explained Professor Goodwitch.

"What I am talking about is a subgroup of the Iron Legion," picked up Ozpin, "the Iron Legion was formed from several smaller legions. One, in particular, draws our attention."

"Wait," realized Ruby, "You're saying that the Knight who attack Warden was..."

"A part of that certain Legion," nodded Lace, reaching forward he placed his scroll on Ozpin's desk and a hologram appeared. Warden narrowed his eyes almost immediately as he saw the image. It was the same image or insignia that was on the medallion he found in Forever Fall: A Knight's helmet and a human skull being split by a sword, "The Blackstone Legion to be precise. And they've been around all this time as far as we can tell from recent events."

"Such as?" asked Warden.

"A story for another time," waved off Ozpin, "As it stands at this moment, the Blackstone Legion Knight, Ademar as you have identified, has been placed on immediate search. Until we can find him, or uncover the reason behind this attack."

"Ok, but what does this have to do with us?" asked Ruby in confusion.

"I'm with Ruby on this," agreed Warden, "why do you need us?"

"Ademar is not a single event," answered Ozpin as he took a sip from his coffee.

"The Iron Legion had several forts and bases scattered across Remnant, primarily Vale and some in Vauo," picked up Taupe, "Some hunters working in the field have been looking into the keeps over the past few years. Some of them have been messed with: equipment was taken, old files vanishing, just rubble being shifted like someone is looking for something. However, until recently, it was just some small things so at first, we thought it was just some scavengers looking to sell old junk. Now though, it's like entire keeps have been cleared out. But there has never been an attack, so the fact that a knight from a lost order has openly attacked a student is more than a cause for concern."

Ozpin then focused on Warden, "Do you recall our conversation in the courtyard? The one about the silver-eyed warriors?"

"Yes," replied Warden carefully.

However, at the mention of the silver-eyed warriors, Ruby's attention had been snagged. Not to say that she wasn't already listening intently, only that her mind flashed back to the night she met Headmaster Ozpin and the first thing he commented on; their silver eyes.

"The Iron Legion formed before the start of humanity's darker beginning, along with two other orders," continued the Headmaster, "these orders, or factions, were formed by the silver-eyed warriors, who were once as numerous as to maintain these three factions, with the goal to protect the world of Remnant, becoming stronger, wiser, and more powerful, becoming the finest warriors the world had ever seen. They did not serve the original kingdoms, rather they advised them, helped maintain peace, however that was until the great war. A great catastrophe fractured these three factions, bringing them to the breaking point. Coupled with the war, these factions were not as capable as they once were. It was this sign of weakness that started it all. The Blackstone Legion believed that war was the only thing that can keep the world in balance and so they tried to instill a war with the Great War, violent attacking the other two factions, coercing the Iron Legion and the two other factions into a three-way slaughter. In the end, however, with the close of the Great War, the Blackstone Legion was defeated and has not emerged...until now. The attack on Beacon proved that. One of my hunters has discovered a keep that served as the archive for the Iron Legion. If the Blackstone Legion is returning, then uncovering the locations of several other hidden keeps may help narrow down the location to their base of operations."

"That's good though, right?" chimed in Ruby, "That means that we'll be able to find out where they could be hiding."

"It's not that simple," spoke up Lace, "Access has been impossible with this facility. Despite it being ancient, the security and defenses are in full functioning condition. One security measure is a DNA recog."

"Meaning that unless you have the DNA of a silver-eyed warrior, you're not getting in," realized Warden.

"Normally, this could wait, but with the warning of Ademar, such an option is not under advisement with the threat of another attack. As it stands right now, the two of you are the only confirmed people in the four kingdoms to share such a genetic trait, even it's a hundred years older than the people who created the archives."

"Wait, wait," interjected Warden, "You're asking us to go to this archive and research for locations of ancient Knight bases? Aren't we a little green for a first-year team?"

"If you chose to partake in this search is entirely decided by you," spoke up Taupe as he approached the two seated students, "I have no issues if you choose to just unlock the entrance and return back to Beacon. However, it's crucial that we obtain this information. The danger that the Blackstone Legion posed was very real during the War and is very real now. They are patient, willing to wait for as long as needed until they strike. If we do not find a way to deal with them now, they will be a larger problem later."

"So this archive may have a list of all the places where the Knights used to be?" asked Ruby, "I think we should do it."

"Bit eager, don't you think Rubes?" asked Warden.

"Well, they did attack and didn't really care that it was in broad daylight. So I think it's a good idea to deal with them now than later."

"My fearless leader believes it's a good idea," smirked Warden as he turned back to the gathered teachers, "I'm inclined to agree with her. When do we leave and where are we headed?"

"You'll be departing by 9 A.M., tomorrow morning. Mr. Alabaster and Mr. Ironstone will be accompanying you to an airship that will be waiting for you and will take you to the edge of the Kingdom of Vale near the coastline. Pack light with only essentials, and exercise extreme caution. You may be talented, but arrogance has gotten even the best hunters killed."

"Won't be a problem," declared the reaper with a ton of enthusiasm, "You can count on us."

"Besides you two, who's gonna be meeting us and where will we meet?" asked Warden, gesturing to the two Faunus.

"You'll be landing at a small village not far from the archive," answered Goodwitch, "The Huntsman that will be accompanying you will be Qrow Branwen."

Ruby gasped, "We're going on a mission with Uncle Qrow?!" she cheered.

"Qrow has been heading this investigation personally for months now," explained Ozpin, "You will be under his command as well as Taupe and Lace's for the duration of this mission, which means if they feel you are not ready, then anyone of them has full authority to return you to Beacon. Understood?"

"Understood," replied the Knight while Ruby nodded.

"Good. Brief your team, but I must stress that they keep this information confidential. The fewer leaks the better. Dismissed."

* * *

 _ **RWWBY's Dorm Room**_

"And this is our mission," finished Warden as he and Ruby just filled in the team about their mission and meeting with Ozpin, Goodwitch, Taupe, and Lace

"Okay, let's see if I got this right," began Yang, "We're going to the edge of Vale to the coast."

"Yep," answered Ruby.

"We'll be breaking into an ancient library that may or may not have a complete map of all the Iron Legion's castles."

"That's the size of it," interjected Warden.

"And we're doing it to try and beat the guys the Knight Warden fought works with otherwise they'll restart a war? You had me ready to go when you said beach."

"Yang, this is way bigger than just one Knight," sighed Warden as he tried to remind her of the greater threat, "He's not the only one, and if I had to guess, he isn't the most skilled either. Whatever we find at the archive, can help give us an edge to try and beat the Blackstone before they become too much a danger. To stop them before they get too big."

"The coastline in the area was once Atlas territory during the war," interjected Weiss, "My father's company may have some information on them that could help us."

"I'm more concerned about the Knights themselves," commented Blake, "How are we supposed to fight against them? Warden, you said so yourself, that Ademar was taking his time with you when you were fighting."

"Ozpin left it up to us to join my uncle and Mr. Lace and Mr. Taupe in actually exploring the archive. Technically he just needs our blood to get in, but we're a team, so we do everything together," reassured Ruby.

"Wow, you're actually sounding like a leader now," commented Weiss with an amused smirk on her face.

"Hey, I'm trying ok?"

"Whatever excitement she had, she worked out of her system back in Ozpin's office," snickered Warden.

"But I still don't understand something: why does it have to be your guys' DNA?" asked Blake, bringing up a valid point.

"Well, you see, turns out the Silver Eyes is a genetic trait that was more common before the Great War," answered Warden, scratching the back of his head, "the warriors who had that eye color were viewed as some of the finest warriors when they put the time, effort, and dedication into their training. There were so many of these guys that they managed to form three factions, the Iron Legion being one of them. The archive we're going to once belong to the Knights and requires the DNA verification of a Silver-Eyed warrior to gain access."

"Not great enough if the two of you are all that's left," snarked Weiss as she folded her arms.

"The warriors were tricked by a smaller legion that broke off from the Iron Legion," explained Warden, "with the War in effect, tensions were high and judgments could be warped. The Legion that splintered itself was called the Blackstone Legion and they tricked the three factions into slaughtering each other. But even after all this time, the Blackstone Legion is still around."

"How?" asked Yang.

"Not sure, but I know because that Knight I fought was a member."

"Either way, the Blackstone is a pretty big threat and it sounds like they might be hidden in one of the keeps," mentioned Blake.

"So that's why we'll be leaving tomorrow at 8. Warden and I have to go, but we wanted to bring you guys with us," declared Ruby confidently.

Weiss sighed. "I suppose someone needs to keep you two alive."

"Sounds like fun, and we get to travel the world too. Count me in," agreed Yang.

"I'm expecting this Qrow to send us back, as well as Taupe and Lace," shrugged Blake, "this is only our first year but why not? Let's do it."

"Alright! Team RWWBY's first official mission is... official!" cheered Ruby.

"Ruby, you're yelling in my ear," mumbled Warden as he held his ear, Ruby nervously chuckling. She had been sitting on his right when she cheered.

Weiss shook her head in annoyance and stood. "I'm going to the CCT tower. I have some phone calls to make back home."

"Say hello to your dad for me!" called Ruby, earning a shudder from the Heiress.

"I suppose we should get packing," commented Yang as she went to her dresser. "How long is the flight supposed to take?"

"Ozpin said these airships can make the trip within a day. I hope they're comfier than the one that brought us here," said a hopeful Ruby.

"The airship is stated to have individual cabins," added Warden, "Makes the trip all the more bearable. Though I gotta say, it's surprising to see Ozpin get a hold of tickets on such short notice."

"Being a headmaster must have a lot of perks," Yang chimed in.

"True that," agreed Warden as he began packing up some clothing. As he was, the Code of Honor, which had been resting on his bed, slid off and dropped down in front of him.

Warden looked at the book for a moment. Thinking about it, he couldn't be certain about what compelled him, but he packed the book as well. Maybe there was something in there that could be helpful.

* * *

 ** _CCT Tower_**

The elevator pinged as the doors slid open, revealing the communication center at the top of the CCT tower. Hundreds of terminals were uniformly placed throughout the room, some of which were occupied. The room itself had a 360-degree panoramic window of the kingdom, allowing light to stream in from all directions.

Weiss quickly made her way to a more secluded side of the room, waving off the assistant AI as it glittered to life when she entered. She sat down and tapped in a few commands, the screen coming to life with the Schnee Dust Company logo, a snowflake. A few seconds of dial tone later, a woman in her mid-thirties wearing a white dress suit appeared.

"Thank you for calling the Schnee Dust Company, serving all of the world's- oh! Heiress Schnee, this is a pleasant surprise. How are you doing this afternoon?"

"Just fine, thank you," Weiss replied.

"Would you like me to put you in contact with your father?"

Weiss winced slightly but didn't show.

"That won't be necessary. I actually was looking for information on old Atlas facilities in the southern coasts of Vale."

"That's... an unusual request, some of these files are in fact confidential," replied the secretary as she tapped away at her terminal. "Might I ask why?"

"They're for a school project concerning the Great War," Weiss replied without missing a beat. "Can you get me those files?"

"Yes, the transfer should only take a few moments. Please connect your scroll if you haven't already done so."

Weiss promptly plugged her scroll into the terminal, the screen lighting up with a transfer meter. In no time at all, the transfer was completed. With a smile on her face, she stowed it away in her pocket.

"Heiress, please exercise caution while going over these files. They contain sensitive information that could cause damage to the company," warned the secretary.

"Not a problem. They are merely referencing material."

"Is there anything else I can help you with today?"

"No, thank you for your assistance."

With a farewell, the Secretary terminated the call. Weiss frowned as her hand fell to her pocket. Cause damage to the company? These were just old facilities sealed off after the war. What could they possibly contain that could cause harm almost a century later?

For some odd reason, Weiss felt an uneasy feeling in her gut, as if she was unknowingly opening a Pandora's Box. She shook her head as she stepped into the elevator. That was preposterous.

* * *

 _ **Elsewhere**_

He had been defeated.

By a child no less.

If this did not warrant embarrassment, but having it told to your face again like an owner getting mad at their pet dog who just peed on the carpet, just rubbed salt on his already wounded pride. But the belittling he received would only be minor compared to what could be awaiting him.

"Guess you're not as skilled as you think, Ademar," taunted a baritone voice.

"I underestimated him, Stone," snapped the fallen Warden harshly, "it will not happen again. The warrior he was speaking with was a knight as well, or about as close as a knight he can get to be considering his past.

"Yeah, well try telling that to Cross."

"I have heard," stated a deeper voice, accompanied by heavy foot steps that echoed around. Heavy armor clanked with each step, but from his stride, it seemed like the armor didn't have any weight at all to him, "and so has the Lord."

"What's our next plan?" asked Ademar.

"We wait and watch."


End file.
